Operation: Pacific Rim
by kjdawson80
Summary: On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind from the monstrous Kaiju have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes - Emma Swan, a washed-up former pilot who lost her lover (and copilot) to the Kaiju during battle, and Regina Mills, an intrepid scientist driven by vengeance - who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. - SwanQueen
1. Chapter 1

When monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge - the Drift. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju attacks, which are escalating in power and frequency. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes - Emma Swan, a washed-up former pilot who lost her lover (and copilot) to the Kaiju during battle, and Regina Mills, an intrepid scientist driven by vengeance - who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

DISCLAIMER: The characters from Once Upon a Time and Pacific Rim are not mine. I'm using them for fun, not profit. Hopefully I didn't mangle it too poorly! I'd like to give a special shoutout to WalnutHulls, who proofed this for me many times. If there are any mistakes, they're all mine.

* * *

He had flown in by helicopter. Of course he did.

She had heard the rumblings from the few contacts she had left in the program, that he had been seeking her out, but it had been five years. Five years where neither of them made any real effort to get over what had happened in Alaska.

And she was perfectly fine with that.

She had just come down from another shift on the construction site: her muscles ached from swinging down the I-beams after welding so many of them in place, and all she wanted was to get her rations, get out of her work gear, and maybe drink for a bit at the tavern by the docks. She wasn't one for hanging out in the bars very much anymore - she got her fill of that and then some shortly after Neal's death - but it was the only way to get news from the frontline since her TV was on the fritz again. The Jaeger Program was being shut down, and the funding was being reassigned to the Walls - giant barriers along the coastlines that should have kept the Kaijus from causing too much damage to the cities shielded by them.

Apparently the Walls were about as effective as the paper screens she wrecked during a bar fight gone south in Tokyo a few years back: not very. One of the damn monsters had torn through Australia's walls like wet tissue paper, and the only thing that stood between Sydney and total destruction was the Jagged Hook - the only Mark V Jaeger in the program. The new tech was amazing - she couldn't help but read up on it, despite herself - but with the program cut, it was the first and last one produced. Jagged Hook's Rangers - Graham Humbert and Killian Jones - were on top of their game, and easy on the eyes to boot. Jones seemed to have a chip on his shoulder the size of Eurasia, however, snarking about how weak pilots caused the failure of the Program.

They had just wrapped up the news segment when she heard it - the whirring of helicopter blades. Some of her coworkers continued to stare into their cups, but most everyone else looked out the window to see what the commotion was: a matte black helicopter, landing perilously close to the bar. Her heart lodged in her throat when she spied the Jaeger Program's insignia painted discreetly on the tail boom.

She hung back, thankful for the crowd, so she could take stock of the situation. She saw him almost immediately - his long black coat was wrapped around him, leaning heavily on his cane as he stepped out of the cabin. He took his sunglasses off to scan the area, and his gaze homed in on her like a guided missile. The man started to make his way through the curious crowd, who parted like the Red Sea for him. He still had it, apparently. She wasn't really surprised: he cut an intimidating figure, even with his age and his injury.

She decided to get it over with, and met him halfway. They both stopped, silently assessing one another. His brown hair, always a bit longer than she expected, was now streaked with gray. She was sure he was taking in the evidence of her harder living; she had tacked on a few more scars since she'd seen him last.

"Miss Swan. I'm glad to see you're well."

She kept her face neutral, but she balled her hands into fists within the confines of her jacket pockets. "Same to you, Mr. Gold." They regarded each other in silence after that, but the rising murmur of the crowd started to grate on her. "Care for a drink? First one's on me," she offered, gesturing to the tavern behind her.

"No, but thank you."

The tension continued to grow, and the spot right between her shoulder blades started to itch. She'd be damned if she was going to break first.

A small grin, laced with regret, finally appeared on Gold's face. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm here, Emma. Care to escort an old man back to his car?"

The tension eased slightly, but the itch refused to subside. "If by 'car' you mean 'helicopter,' sure." They walked side by side, and she could feel the stares from people she might have called friends once upon a time boring into her. "What's the deal, Gold?"

"I want you to rejoin the Program."

His words slugged her in the gut. She had expected it as soon as she saw that damn helicopter, really, but the lack of his usual preamble took her completely by surprise. She felt the color drain from her face, and she really could've used that drink. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me well enough the first time, Emma." His face started to cloud over.

"I - Sir, I wasn't being a smartass." She held up her hands in surrender. "I did hear you, I just… you caught me off guard." She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the next bit. "It's been five years, Gold. Five years since - five years I've been out, and the Program's on its last legs. Why are you coming for me now?"

"The program still has a few months of funding left, and we both know I have ways to keep it going beyond that."

He looked her square in the eye, and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Neal hadn't borne much resemblance to the man in front of her, except for the eyes. Gold's eyes were sharp like flint, and they lacked the twinkle Neal's had, but they still had the same shape, the same color… it was enough to make Emma hear him out.

"An apocalypse is coming, Miss Swan, and I need the best pilots I can get to prevent it… so I came to you. Are you in?"

She stepped back, and she wrapped her own coat around her like a suit of armor. "You know why I left. You know why I can't go back."

His gaze didn't waver. "So you'd rather die on the Wall? Installing rebar in hopes it will stop a Category I assault? Or would you rather die fighting in a Jaeger?"

She would have preferred to die when she lost Neal, but she didn't say that out loud. She didn't have to. Gold fell silent; she wasn't sure if he regretted his words, or if he was trying to pour the pressure on. Emma looked at the Wall, its scaffolding reaching to the sky like the ribcage of a rotting corpse, and then back to the man who had recruited her so many years ago.

"I'll hear you out, but I'm not making any promises. Let me get my gear."

* * *

Regina Mills stood on the flight deck, umbrella in hand, as she waited for Gold to arrive with the newest recruit. The black fabric snapped tight as the wind swooped under the panes, and she had to tighten her grip to keep the umbrella from flying away. It already looked like it was about to flip inside out, though, making it relatively useless in keeping her dry under the downpour. She tried to tuck her dark brown hair behind her ears, but it kept flipping to the sides as the wind shifted.

She knew she didn't have to be on deck to meet Gold, but her curiosity had been piqued when he told her he had finally found the linchpin to their operation. The flight was running late, though, and she had half a mind to tell the Control Tower to notify her of Gold's arrival so she could go back inside the Shatterdome and warm up for a bit. It was so cold out that her wedding band was getting chilled as it rested on her breastbone, dangling from the chain she wore it on. She was just about to hit her comm button when she heard the helicopter blades over the sound of the roaring wind. Moments later, the skids touched the deck, and the blades started slowing down. Gold disembarked first, ignoring the rain that pelted him, and moved aside for their newest team member.

A taller woman stepped down from the cargo area, clad in a red leather jacket and skinny jeans. A fuzzy gray cap covered most of her hair, but a few blonde strands had escaped, and the rain plastered them to her forehead. She carried an olive green duffle bag, decorated with a few faded patches stitched to the surface. Her boots came up over the calf, and Regina expected to see them end in ridiculously high heels; the heels were actually reasonable, however, much to her surprise. The woman's hands were bare, revealing pale skin lightly marked with a few scars. The newcomer seemed physically fit and conventionally attractive, but other than that... she couldn't figure out why Gold hunted her down.

Finished with her assessment, she made her way to the pair, offering the umbrella to Gold. He waved her off, and gestured to the woman beside him.

"Meet our newest pilot," the older gentleman said, a small but genuine smile on his face.

That was interesting - Gold's smiles were rarely sincere.

"Hey, I didn't agree to this just yet," the newcomer said, also shaking off Regina's reluctant offer to share the umbrella.

"Of course you didn't." Regina could hear the eyeroll in her superior officer's voice.

"_She's not what I expected, Gold_," Regina sniffed, defaulting to her native tongue.

Gold opened his mouth, but the woman shook her head and turned to fully face Regina. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. "_I hope I didn't disappoint you_," she replied in kind, startling Regina. "I'm Emma Swan, and you must be...?"

The ring warmed up suddenly, burning against her skin.

Blue-green eyes sparkled with mirth as she scrambled to collect herself, rejecting the proffered handshake. Emma Swan? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "I'm Regina Mills, Director of the Mark III Restoration Project."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mills."

"Doctor Mills," Regina corrected, drawing herself up. She refused to let this woman throw her off her game, no matter who she was.

"Doctor," Swan agreed amicably. She rocked back on her heels as she looked to the sky, blinking as some of the rainwater dribbled into her eyes. "So... are we just going to stand here for a while, or what? I mean, I don't care either way, but..."

Gold's eyes darted between the two women, and Regina could practically hear the gears turning in his head. She tilted her head a bit and squinted at her superior, trying to figure out his sudden interest, before heading over to the nearest elevator. She held it open for the both of them, but Gold waved his hand.

"I'll join you later," he said in explanation, hobbling off towards another part of the flight deck. "Do enjoy the tour, Miss Swan - the Shatterdome has changed since you were here last."

"I'm sure it has," Swan muttered as the doors shut.

Silence filled the car as it descended into the bowels of the Shatterdome. Regina chafed at being relegated to impromptu tour guide, and the confidence Swan possessed when she stepped off the copter gave way to a nervous energy. It radiated off of her in waves, and it set Regina's nerves on edge.

"I take it you've been here before, Miss Swan?" she asked. She wasn't trying to break the awkward silence - she was merely assessing how much of a 'tour' she would have to give.

"Sure, you could say that." Swan removed her ridiculous hat, revealing long blonde locks that tumbled around her shoulders. She didn't offer anything else after that.

Well. So much for that line of questioning.

The doors finally gave way to a dimly lit corridor. The bright halogen lamps were spaced in a sporadic pattern, and the light they gave was swallowed by the gun-metal gray catwalks, piping, and conduit littering the walkway. They made their way to another elevator, ducking and weaving past various crewmembers. That was when Regina noticed a few of the senior staff doing a double take upon seeing Miss Swan. At first she assumed they were focusing on the taller woman's physical attributes, but that theory was tossed aside when she caught the expression on their faces. They were walking quickly, so she didn't have much time to analyze their reactions, but it looked like they recognized Swan - and were shocked to see her wandering the halls.

Regina placed her access chip on the control pad for the next elevator, and noticed Swan making a motion to do the same before stuffing her hands back in her jacket pockets at the last second. "Curious," she murmured - and cursed herself when the blonde arched an eyebrow at her. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

They both jumped when a tall, lanky brunette rushed towards them, skidding into the elevator before it could close. She jammed her foot in between the closing doors, and stuck one of her heavily tattooed arms through the opening. "C'mon, Belle, before the door chops my toes off!"

A smaller woman followed suit, her reddish hair breaking free from the hasty bun she must have pulled it into. "I swear, Miss Lucas, this wouldn't be an issue if you had remembered your pass!" she huffed, squeezing herself into the confined space.

"What's more important: going back to my office for a stupid security chip, or checking out the newest lab specimens before the techs get at 'em?"

Regina was both annoyed and grateful for the interruption. "Both are of great importance, Professor Lucas," she intoned, glaring at her younger colleague. "Emma Swan, I'd like you to meet the entirety of our research division: Professors Ruby Lucas and Belle French."

French's eyes grew wide as saucers, while Lucas began to vibrate with excitement. "Holy shit, Emma Swan? Here?!" Lucas shrieked. "No fucking way!"

"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Swan," French supplied, holding her hand out.

Their reactions to Swan were confusing, to put it lightly, and Regina hated being in the dark. She started turning everything over in her mind, struggling to put the pieces together.

Meanwhile, Emma took French's hand in a firm grip and flashed a smile; Regina noted that it wasn't entirely sincere.

"I can't even..." Lucas clearly didn't notice; she was in rambling mode, twirling a chunk of dyed red hair around her fingers. "I just... wow. Emma Fucking Swan," she breathed.

"It's nice to meet the both of you," Emma replied, nodding to them. "You're really the entire research team?"

"Yeah, what's left of it. Savin' the best for last, naturally." Lucas waggled her eyebrows and leaned against the elevator wall, scooting closer to the blonde. Regina sighed. The girl sure moved quickly in the pursuit of one-night stands; it was a pity she couldn't move that fast on most of her research projects.

Swan backed up a bit, and glanced at Lucas's tattoos. "Is that Yamarashi?" Emma asked, pointing at one of the many Kaiju figures decorating the brunette's arms.

"Oh, yeah - you recognize it? I mean, of course you would! I'm an idiot, sorry." Lucas was looking at Swan like one would regard their favorite celebrity. "They're amazing creatures, y'know? Their biology is fascinating: dual brains to control their cognitive and motor functions, the ambient radiation they give off, and the way they tend to self-destruct right after death… I mean, Kaiju Blue is crazy! The corrosive properties alone are - wow, and the way it can render an entire area uninhabitable… Man, I'd love to see one of them up close."

"You wouldn't last two seconds against a Kaiju's bloated corpse, let alone a live creature," French sniffed. She rolled her eyes at her fellow researcher. "Ruby is our resident 'Kaiju Groupie.'"

"Am not! Geez, Belle-"

"Groupie or no," Swan interrupted, her voice grim, "you don't want to meet a Kaiju face to face, Professor Lucas. Trust me on this."

The taller woman actually looked contrite for once, adding another piece to the puzzle.

The elevator dinged, and French perked up. "This is our stop," she said. "Come along, Ruby."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Killjoy," the other woman groused. "Anyway, we'll see you ladies later, right? Right!" She waved her fingers at Swan, and even managed to throw her a wink, before a frustrated Belle tugged her away.

"That... was interesting," Swan offered in the renewed quiet of the car. "Anyone else I should look out for?"

"Funny you should mention that."


	2. Chapter 2

"We have three remaining Jaegers, besides the Mark III we're rebuilding." Their footsteps echoed in the cavernous garage, drawing attention from a couple working on some wiring near one of the gigantic robots. The darker-haired woman stared at them intently, and then tapped her sandy blonde-haired companion on the shoulder as Regina and Emma drew near the first Jaeger. Regina braced herself as a dull ache took up residence in her forehead - they were excellent pilots, though she loathed admitting it, but they grated on her nerves with their mere existence. Their dubious connections to the Black Market were just icing on the cake. "This is the White Knight," she said, gesturing to the humongous machine before them.

The White Knight certainly matched its description - it was one of the heaviest and best armored Mark Is ever produced, covered in whitish-gray armor plates with a larger impact shield attached to its left bracer. The gauntlets were huge, even for a Jaeger its size, as they were meant to protect the coils within its fists. She was about drag Emma away from the Jaeger, but its pilots had finished whatever they were doing and made their way over to the newcomer. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Mary Margaret, David, what a surprise to see you skulking about," Regina said, offering a sickly sweet smile to the couple. She could see Emma glancing between the three of them, and she proceeded with the introductions. "Let me introduce you to the Nolans, the Rangers in charge of the White Knight."

The couple's dive-suits were very reminiscent of the Jaeger's armor, with heavily armored plates covering the majority of the outfit. The external attachments were a hodge podge of metal bits, most likely scavenged from other suits.

"Good to meet you," the blonde supplied, extending her hand to the short-haired woman, and then her taller husband. She slowly retracted when neither of them took it. "I... well, I'm Emma. Emma Swan."

The couple exchanged a look, arching their eyebrows in surprise. "Emma Swan?" David spoke first, raking his eyes over the blonde.

Regina felt her hackles rise. She'd be damned if these two got their hooks into Gold's newest recruit-

"Swan?" Mary Margaret parroted, frowning slightly. Her eyes widened in recognition, and then she smiled brightly. "This is surprising!" she continued in thickly accented English. "You are returning to the program? Of course you must be - that is why the Queen is being retrofitted, yes?"

"The Queen is being retrofitted?" Emma repeated, her voice faint. "What? Why?"

"I do not know," David said. "It is being given a second nuclear core, along with extra radiation shielding. Has new cockpit, new alloys... Very impressive for a Mark III. Also very expensive."

Regina narrowed her eyes at the pair, a frown marring her features. "And how do you know all of that, Mr. Nolan?" Most of that information was classified.

That man had the gall to fix her with an earnest, innocent look and shrugged his broad shoulders. "I hear things, Madam Mills. You know how it is! Maybe blue bird told my wife?"

Mary Margaret placed her hand on his arm, perhaps holding him back from goading Regina any further. She was absolutely furious - those details shouldn't have been leaked. Period. She was ready to tear into the both of them, until Emma stormed past her. "Miss Swan, where are you going?"

The blonde had grown extremely pale, and her hands were trembling. "I need to see it," she hissed, her eyes screwed shut. "I need to see the Queen."

"But why-" and then it dawned on Regina: Emma Swan must have been a Ranger at some point - perhaps one of the Queen's former pilots. It was finally starting to make sense. And Emma must have been a pilot of some importance, if everyone's reactions to her were any indication.

No wonder Gold went on a hunting expedition to find this woman.

"All right, Miss Swan. This way." Regina gestured to a hangar on the left, and took stock of Swan's appearance. She was clearly in some sort of distress, but Regina had no idea why. Damn Gold and his penchant for keeping secrets.

Mary Margaret looked confused. "What is wrong? We did not mean to offend-"

She turned to the Nolans, furious. "We will address this later," she hissed, and she was amazed when the two pilots looked appropriately chastised. She turned on her heel and chased after the other woman, racing to keep up with her longer strides.

She finally caught up to Swan, who had stopped short of the actual docking bay. The taller woman was reaching out with her right hand, as if to touch the restored machine. The sleeve of her leather jacket shifted with the movement, exposing more thin scars that ran down the length of her forearm.

Emma's voice was rough, gravelly. "She... she looks the same."

It wasn't wholly accurate, but Regina could see why the other woman would say something like that.

The Queen towered above them, its sturdy frame covered by large sheets of plating. The nuclear turbine was situated directly in the middle of its breastplate, but Regina could make out the thin cooling conduits extending from the turbine itself. There was a faint glow emanating from its center, even though the nuclear reactor was running cool at the moment. The shoulder pads and neck plates were massive, providing reinforcement at the head's attachment point.

"Physically, the model's form is still the same, although we have installed extensive upgrades to bring it up to speed," Regina supplied. "We've also improved on the weaponry a bit, updating the plasmacasters in the hands to accommodate some extra hand-to-hand artillery.

"Its paint job and decals have been altered to reflect its new designation: the Swan Queen."

The other woman's eyes widened, just noticing the new color scheme. The Jaeger was originally painted a faded blue color, with red accents drawing attention to the head and chest.

Now it was painted in gunmetal gray, with silver designs along the shoulders, bracers, and chest. The crown decal had been updated, with a pair of feathery wings situated right below it. The icon had been etched into the pauldrons of the Jaeger and the dive-suits, which were in storage for the time being.

Swan stepped back, drawing her hand back to her side, and turned to Regina. Her expression was neutral, but Regina noticed the glimmer of unshed tears. "So. Where am I staying?"

The pain in Emma's startling eyes hit uncomfortably close to home. "Do you want to see the other Jaegers on the team?" Regina offered. "I can take you to them now, if you'd like." She knew she was reaching for a distraction, but the last thing Regina needed was another painful trip down her own Memory Lane.

"Nah, I'm good. You can tell me about them on my way to my quarters, if you want."

It was a compromise Regina could live with. She briefly described Jagged Hook and its pilots, and she couldn't help but laugh when Emma rolled her eyes at the mention of Killian Jones. She also discussed the Sleeping Dragon, going into a bit more detail about the operating system that allowed its three Rangers - Mulan Wen, Aurora Fanning, and Philip Thwaites - to copilot in perfect synchronization. She found herself repeatedly impressed at Emma's understanding of the technology involved, even knowing that she was a Ranger at one point. Her interest must have stemmed far beyond the level of understanding most pilots needed.

They finally made their way to the crew's quarters, and Regina gestured to one of the many doors in the hall. "This is where you'll be staying," she said. Deft fingers typed in an access code, and the heavy metal plate moved out of the way. She typed in another code, and a light on the panel flashed red. "I've just revoked my access to your room. Your code is stored on this key, but I recommend memorizing it," Regina added, handing a small dongle to the blonde.

She gasped as a spark of electricity shot through her fingertips when they brushed up against Emma's outstretched palm, and she almost dropped the dongle on the ground in her haste to pull back. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest, and it was so loud she couldn't help but wonder if it was audible to the blonde as well. A quick glance at the other woman's face revealed hooded blue-green eyes, but little else.

"Thanks. I'll work on that," Emma said, curling calloused fingers around the chip.

She walked into the room, and swung her duffle bag onto the floor. She started unpacking her meager belongings, and Regina took this as a dismissal, albeit a very rude one. She started to make her way out when Emma piped up. "So, who are the pilots? I mean, for the Queen?"

"The Swan Queen," Regina corrected absently. "Well, Gold said he was returning with one of the pilots, so I'd assume you're one of them," she continued. Emma tensed up, but kept emptying out her bag. "You'll meet the candidates for your partnership tomorrow, and then testing will commence in the Kwoon Combat Room."

"I see." Emma sat down on the bunk, and leaned back a bit. "And where will you be during all of this? Overseeing more renovations?"

"I'll be in the Combat Room as well, evaluating your score."

"Really? I thought maybe... hmm. I guess I was wrong." Swan trailed off, and started unlacing her boots.

Regina frowned. "What do you mean by that, Miss Swan?"

Slender fingers paused in their task, and Emma looked Regina straight in the eye. "The way you carry yourself, I just... You have the bearing of a warrior. Not like a street brawler, I mean, not like me - but a fighter all the same. I thought maybe you'd be one of the candidates."

Regina was floored. How did Swan guess? She had submitted her application to the program - again - but Gold denied it almost instantly. "I have gone through the training simulations, yes," she admitted reluctantly. She tried to gauge how much Emma knew. "I've had 51 drops and 51 kills in the simulation program, but I've never been out in the field."

"That's weird. Why's Gold holding you back?"

She asked herself that question every day, but to hear it out loud from another person stabbed at her pride. "I do wonder that, actually," she muttered, indignation coloring her tone. "I can't help but question why Gold would go through all of the trouble to hunt down an ex-Ranger who took up a job on the Wall, instead of someone like..." Her brain finally caught up, and she stopped just short of finishing her sentence.

She wasn't quick enough.

Emma's expression grew dark, and the pale woman shot up from her bunk in a flash and moved towards Regina like she was stalking her prey. "Someone like you, right?" she growled. It was a rhetorical question - they both knew the answer to that.

Regina fought the urge to back away, despite Emma's intimidating presence looming before her. It was ridiculous to feel so small - the woman was barely taller than her without those heeled boots. "Yes, someone like me," she snarled, going on the offensive. "You have no idea what I'm capable of, Miss Swan."

The other woman crowded into Regina's personal space, fury radiating from her core. "Well, let me tell you a little something I learned before I bombed out of the program, Doctor Mills: real life combat is a hell of a lot different than a simulation, no matter how you slice it. You're forced to make choices that can make or break a situation, and you have to live with them for the rest of your days. Something decided in the moment can haunt you for years, even if it was the right move at the right time."

White-hot anger surged through her then, and it took all of her self-control to not tear into the washed-out upstart. Regina knew exactly what it felt like to make a decision that she regretted every single day - even if it was the only one she could have made - what it was like to live with that burden, what she had lost-

"But maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not cut out for it." The blonde's shoulders slumped, the fight suddenly flooding out of her, and she took a deep breath. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

The inferno raged inside, but Regina refused to give in. She stood her ground, and eventually Emma backed off. The blonde unzipped her red leather jacket and hung it up on one of the hooks by the door, revealing little more than a ragged tank top underneath. That's when Regina finally saw the scars in full: long, precise ridges that stretched over lean musculature and weaved across the other woman's shoulder like a...

Like a printed circuit.

Emma must have felt Regina's laser-focus on her arm, and glanced down. She shook her head, causing her hair to tumble over her eyes, and pulled out the access chip. Regina moved back just as Emma pressed the chip to the sensor pad, closing the door between them.

* * *

"Why did you go through all the expense of tracking her down? She's combative, irrational, emotionally unstable - she nearly had a breakdown when she saw the Swan Queen! Need I go on?" Regina demanded, slamming Swan's program file on top of Gold's desk. "We're already strapped for resources as it is, you said it yourself-"

"-and it will be worth every penny, should she agree to come back to the program," Gold continued, folding his hands behind his back. His gaze was focused on the display before him, tracking the latest readings from Professor Lucas's team. "She's one of the best-"

"She got her partner killed!" she nearly screeched. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Gold's shoulders tensed, and he slowly turned to face his protege. "As much as I wanted to believe it at the time, I assure you that it wasn't the case, Doctor Mills. Emma Swan...

"Emma did everything she could to save my son."

Regina's eyes widened, and started to feel a bit lightheaded. Wait, Swan's partner was Gold's son? "Sir, I-'

"Neal was impetuous, like his mother. Always thought he'd be able to swoop in and save the day." His voice softened. "Said he wanted to save the world. I tried to dissuade him, but he was stubborn. He took too much after me in that regard."

The lightheadedness made way for nausea. "Mr. Gold, you don't have to continue-"

Gold's eyes closed as he relived the moment. "They responded to a Kaiju threat in Alaska, but he was too focused on saving that damn boat. Swan tried to convince him to stay on high alert after they took it down, but he thought the threat had passed. They were in the middle of escorting the fishermen back to shore when the thing stopped playing dead. It caught them both by surprise - didn't even show up on their sensors - and tore off the right arm. Miss Swan should have lost consciousness from the unexpected trauma. Instead, she powered through it when the next blow smashed the left side of the Queen's head, ripping Neal from the neural link.

"It assaulted them repeatedly, and she was the only thing standing between my boy and certain death. It wasn't enough, though. The last blow nearly tore the Queen in half, severing the link between them for good. Neal was gone, and by all rights, Emma should have been lost as well."

She lurched back as Gold's eyes snapped open, staring into her own.

"Did you know that Miss Swan was able to survive piloting a Jaeger to safety without a partner, let alone defeat that Kaiju on her own?"

Every Jaeger was piloted by at least two Rangers - piloting a Jaeger by oneself was essentially a death sentence right out the gate due to the sheer amount of strain put upon the pilot's nervous system. She knew Gold had done it once - she had seen it - but she never heard of anyone else doing the same and surviving the trauma. Regina had only just discovered that Neal Cassidy and Swan were two of the best Rangers in the history of the program - a history Gold seemed content to bury - before Cassidy died and Swan washed out.

"She marshalled that last bit of strength into avenging my son's death by killing the monster with the remnants of the Queen's weaponry. By herself. And then she forced the Queen to shore. She survived only because a man was on a school expedition with his grandson and found her among the wreckage. In 'payment' for her service, I drove her underground, blacklisting her from everything I could. When I finally came to my senses, it was too late to make amends - she had vanished from the grid.

"My misguided desire for vengeance resulted in me ruining her life, and driving off one of the best pilots the program has ever seen."

Well. That certainly explained why Regina hadn't learned much about the woman except her scores and her "win" ratio, despite her efforts. Given enough time-

"I only pray that history doesn't repeat itself."

"What?!" Ice shot through her veins, replaced by a sense of indignant incredulousness. "You think I would sabotage her testing because... because..."

Her pulse was pounding, and her fine silk shirt became soaked with sweat. How dare he-

A weathered hand rested on her shoulder, in awkward comfort and commiseration. "I know you want to join the Ranger program, Regina, but I need you here - on the ground. We're already running short, as you pointed out earlier."

Of course he'd throw her words back in her face. Still, she understood what he was getting at, and she took the words as he intended. It was a struggle, controlling her emotions, but she eventually succeeded. A cool mask of compliance slipped over her face, and she nodded. "I understand, Mr. Gold."

"I don't think you do, Doctor Mills. Regina - I don't want you making the same mistake I did, leaving your son behind so you can fight in hopeless battles." Sorrow settled over Gold's features, making the lines on his face more visible - making him look his age.

She closed her eyes, and a picture of her little boy flashed in her mind's eye. Henry had just turned ten, and she hadn't been able to get back to the mainland in time to celebrate with him. When she opened them again, her eyes were damp with unshed tears.

"What use is it to stay on the sidelines and do nothing when I might be able to help stop these invasions for good?" she countered, turning sharply on her heel and stalking out of Gold's office.


	3. Chapter 3

Out of all the areas she'd been in since returning to the Shatterdome, the Kwoon Combat Room had changed the least.

The walls were made out of ugly beige cement that reminded her of gym class back in high school - except the walls from high school didn't have huge rusted portholes protruding from the surface: they were stained with rust left behind by the constant dripping of water runoff from various piping throughout the training area. There were some stenciled symbols scattered on the walls' surfaces, and someone thought to use a similar rust-colored paint for them.

The floor was slate gray, with a polished finish due to the sealant used on its surface. On top of that was a huge fighting "ring" made up of smaller light gray pads that locked together. The entire square was framed with a thin red border.

It really livened up the place, Emma mused sarcastically.

Gold was there, clad in his pressed three piece suit. Regina Mills was at his side, wearing a pair of tailored slacks and a well-fitted black blazer over a crisp button-up shirt. The doctor had a clipboard and a pencil in her hand - even the grading methods of the Combat Room stayed the same. Their heads were bowed, and it looked like they were in deep discussion; in fact, she could almost make out what they were saying, but the background noise made it difficult. They hadn't noticed her yet, and Emma had half a mind to go change - she felt severely underdressed in her gray cargo pants and black tank top.

She had to remind herself that she was at a combat assessment, not a fashion show.

Instead, she loudly cleared her throat. Gold merely turned to face her, but she fought to keep the smirk off her face when Doctor Mills jumped slightly. Emma didn't know what to do with the sudden connection she felt when she first met the other woman, but apparently it manifested itself as a desire to keep the doctor on edge.

"Fancy meeting you here," she drawled, smiling at Regina's obvious surprise at her arrival.

"I'm glad to see you made it on time, Miss Swan." Gold's words poked at her pride a bit, but she knew there was no real harm behind them - besides, she had been notorious for running late when she was younger.

"You said the Shatterdome had gone through some changes over the years; I guess it's safe to say the same thing happened to me, Sir."

Gold nodded, but the woman beside him scowled at Emma. She shifted uncomfortably under Regina's flinty stare: her eyes were like dark amber, lit from within with glowing determination. She refused to look away, though. She almost never retreated unless it was necessary, no matter the situation - even from things like yesterday's confrontation.

That was why Emma dragged herself to the training room earlier than necessary - she was hoping to catch the other woman alone and apologize for her outburst. She didn't mean to lash out, but after seeing the Queen rebuilt, she had been flooded with memories that she thought were long buried. Emma wasn't entirely sure how she was going to go about apologizing - she probably would have dug herself into a deeper hole, probably, but she still wanted to try.

Not that it mattered, since Gold's presence deep-sixed that plan.

Emma coughed slightly, and gestured to the clipboard. "So, what's the lineup for today?"

Regina blinked. "I... uh, yes. Today." Emma and Gold both frowned at the doctor, who flushed under their combined scrutiny. "Today's session will consist of scored sparring. I'll evaluate your opponents, compare their physical fighting techniques to your own, and if their combat styles mesh well with your own." She tilted the clipboard slightly, revealing a tiny touchscreen device attached to the upper left hand corner, lit up with a physical evaluation - Emma assumed it was hers on the display. "Afterwards, we'll do a psychological evaluation to see if any of the candidates would be able to create a solid neural link with you."

"So I fight them and see who's the most Drift compatible? Just like the old days, I guess."

Emma couldn't help but laugh at the way Regina's lips pressed together in a thin line when she heard "drift compatible"; it was like she just swallowed something only mildly disgusting. That was when she noticed the fine scar on Regina's upper lip; it was barely visible, but she found her focus drawn to it… along with the doctor's full lips. Emma's mouth suddenly went dry, and she licked her own lips to try and moisten them. It didn't work.

This evaluation was going to end horribly for her, she just knew it.

"Okay," Emma said, trying to shake off the haze of desire that settled over her, "we'll find out who I can 'create a solid neural link with'. When does this shindig start?"

"Right now," a gruff voice sounded from the main entrance, startling Emma. She ignored Regina's smirk, and turned around to meet one of her potential co-pilots.

Killian Jones sauntered in, stopping just short of Emma's personal boundaries. His eyes - a bright blue color that was lighter than Emma's own - scanned her body with obvious interest. Part of her bristled at the dark-haired man's gaze, but it didn't stem from any sexual objectification in his manner; she saw clear disdain for her etched in his otherwise handsome features. Still, she was willing to give it a go. Drift compatibility didn't depend on each partner actually liking each other, although it certainly helped.

"So, I finally get to meet one of the famous Jagged Hook Rangers. I've heard a lot about you," Emma said, keeping her hands at her sides.

"And I you, lass," Jones muttered, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Gold must be desperate to go after such a flighty little bird, eh?"

Another ruggedly handsome man came up next to Killian, and pulled him back a bit. "Hey now, Killian, give the woman some space, yeah?" he said, subtly inserting himself between Emma and Jones before either could react. "You must be Emma Swan, right? I'm Graham Humbert," he supplied, offering her a handshake.

She took it, and smiled when he winced slightly. She knew how to put the pressure on when she had to. "I sure am," she replied, "and you must be Killian's partner." She paused, gauging Jones' permanent grimace, and decided to poke the bear. "Are you sure you want to part with this bundle of joy, Mr. Humbert?"

It had the intended effect: Killian's face started to flush with embarrassment, while Humbert merely chuckled and shook his head. "Don't mind him, he's just a bit of a hothead," Graham said, ignoring his partner's outraged sputtering. "Besides, he might be the one giving me up."

Emma finally stepped back herself, and eyed them both up. "Wait... I'm testing with the both of you?"

"Didn't get the memo, Swan?" Killian sneered slightly. "You get to go up against Sleeping Dragon's crew as well."

Emma's scars itched with the need to wipe that smirk off his face. She knew he had a chip on his shoulder, but it seemed like he was lashing out at her in particular. If he kept it up... "Sounds like a party to me."

"We'll wait until they arrive, Mr. Jones," Gold called out. His voice was even, but it had a hard edge to it - seemed like he didn't appreciate Killian's flippancy too much, either.

"Looks like we don't have to wait much longer, then," Doctor Mills added. "Here they come now."

Emma looked past Jones and Humbert to see the new arrivals: an Asian woman with dark, flowing hair; a Caucasian woman with auburn hair, highlighted with reddish curls; and another broad-shouldered man with short, dark hair, and piercing brown eyes. Everyone who was being tested wore the standard-issue cargo pants and tank top, but the Sleeping Warrior pilots wore matching red windbreakers with gold accents along the seams.

"Did the recruiting requirements change? Does everyone have to look like a model now?" Emma quipped, looking at all of the other pilots standing before her. "Because if that's the case, I should probably save everyone's time and head back to the Wall." Humbert laughed, interrupting whatever Killian was about to spout off with.

The Asian woman bowed slightly. "_Miss Swan. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Mulan Wen._"

Emma bowed more deeply in reply. "_The pleasure is mine, Ms. Wen._"

Mulan's eyebrows rose slightly, but she smiled and shook Emma's hand. Aurora and Philip came up behind her, and both exchanged brief pleasantries with Emma. She could tell that no one in the trio wanted to be reassigned, but if everyone was here for the combat test, the possibility was high.

Gold slammed the bottom of his cane onto the hard floor, startling everyone and grabbing their attention. "Now the 'shindig' can get started," he said. "Doctor Mills?"

Regina took over and started giving out instructions to everyone while Gold made his way to the back of the room. Emma had been through this before - everyone had, really - so she moved on autopilot while observing her former mentor. He seemed to fade into the shadows, with his bright green-gold eyes keeping track of every detail of every single thing in the area. She kept up her covert observation, and she frowned slightly when his gaze drifted over to Doctor Mills, who had finally shed her blazer.

"Everyone ready?" Regina's voice startled Emma, and she shook her head to clear it and refocus.

She took a few experimental swings with the practice staff in her hands, and she nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be," she said, taking her position.

Aurora mirrored her movements, and nodded as well.

"Begin."

The combat tests weren't established as a way to see who was the best fighter - it was a way to see if candidates' combat styles were compatible, and to foster partnership and respect between partners. Friendly rivalries were not discouraged, but active distrust and mean-spirited showboating between paired pilots was a nuisance at best, and a liability for everyone engaged in battle at its worst.

Unfortunately, Emma knew she had a talent for one-upmanship - one that she inherited from Neal. She never had to worry about keeping it in check with him: it was more like a game to them, one that never devolved into bitterness and resentment. It was evident in her match with Aurora: she didn't intend to play with her target, but it happened nonetheless. Within moments she had scored four points against the auburn-haired woman, all accomplished with an unnecessary flourish or two thrown in when she twirled her staff about to strike.

They both bowed at the end, and Phillip immediately took Aurora's place on the mat.

"Whoa, wait up," Emma said, resting the butt of her staff on the ground. "I'm going up against Philip right away? No cool downs or anything?"

"Something like that," Regina said, looking at her clipboard and scowling. She shook her head, causing her dark hair to cover her eyes. "Ready?"

"I guess I have to be," Emma muttered. "Let's go, Phillip."

He smiled, and came after her with more ferocity than his co-pilot.

She thought it would be harder, since she'd been out of the Program for so long, but she defeated him almost as swiftly. He scored a point on her at the onset, but she took him down shortly after that. Emma leaned over to help him up, and noticed that the doctor's scowl had deepened. Maybe she was upset that Emma was blowing through her challengers so far?

Or... maybe she was frustrated with Emma's showing off.

Emma had an idea. It was dumb, but if she could pull it off... well. Maybe she'd find her ideal partner after all.

Mulan was up next, and Emma nearly paid for her hare-brained scheme with a loss. It was a furious battle, and Mulan struck like a scorpion - Emma was going to have quite the bruise on her hand later - and she scored three points in quick succession. Emma had to go on the defensive, but even then she was able to throw in a bit of showmanship when she finally regained the upper hand and tagged Mulan for a final time. The combat had been invigorating; the other woman seemed to respond to her antics in kind, reminding Emma of Neal.

It was bittersweet.

"_You seem to enjoy playing with fire, Miss Swan,_" Mulan said afterward. "_I like that._"

Doctor Mills started coughing, like she swallowed something down the wrong pipe. Interesting.

"_Playing fast and loose has its advantages, but you definitely kept me on my toes._" Emma bowed once more, dipping even lower than she had before. "_Thank you for indulging me._"

She could feel Aurora and Phillip's angry stares boring into her backside after that. It was an unintended consequence, but if her plan worked, the Sleeping Dragon's roster wouldn't change.

Graham was next, and she reigned herself in. He seemed to be a good man, a great pilot, and if he was the fourth in line, then Killian was next... and Emma wanted all of her energy for that match. They were nearly even, trading blows - and points - back and forth.

"Good game, Emma," Graham grinned, patting her on the shoulder. "I wouldn't mind you having my back in a bar fight."

"What about a Jaeger fight?" Emma retorted.

"A Jaeger fight is all well and good, but you already know who the real enemy is out there. Bar fights are a touch trickier, since you don't know who's out to smash a bottle over your head."

They both laughed, and Emma patted Graham's upper arm. "I like the way you think, Humbert."

Jones was up next. He swaggered to the mat, arms still crossed over his chest, and grinned maliciously. "Looks like they saved the best for last, love."

"I'm sure they did," Emma replied evenly. "There's only the five of you, though. Is someone else coming in after this?"

That wiped the smirk right off Killian's face, and his bright blue eyes turned to ice. "You think you're such a hotshot, even after ditching the program to play building blocks?" he spat, finally reaching over to grab a practice staff.

"I might be a bit rusty, but don't write me off yet, Jones. I know what I'm doing," Emma countered, leaning against her own staff.

"Then how'd you get those scars, hmm?" Killian gestured toward her arm, stopping just short of tapping her with his weapon. "Only sloppy fighters tend to get hit."

"Hard to avoid scars like these when you have to pilot a Jaeger by yourself," she replied. Her tone was conversational, but her stance was all business.

Killian's eyes bulged, and he paled slightly, casting a sickly sheen to his skin. She knew Gold buried her record when she left, but she assumed he would have filled in the last bastion, at least. "What, did you really think I was that green?"

Her opponent drew himself up to his full height and glowered at her. "Well," he drawled, rubbing his hand over his beard, "last I heard, all you succeeded in doing was getting your partner-"

"Begin!"

Gold's voice was the only signal she needed. Emma launched herself into a whirlwind of activity, going on the offensive right off the bat. If Killian's goal had been to goad her into a blind rage, he did a pretty good job.

Unfortunately for him, she was at her best when she was cornered by herself with nothing but fury to watch her back. Etiquette flew out the window as she pushed him back into the corner of the ring, tagging him wherever he left himself open. He barely had a chance to defend himself when she cracked him against the arm, drawing blood. She heard someone call out that she had won, that they could stop, but she followed through with her last blow, sweeping Killian's legs out from underneath him. He landed outside of the ring, and he arched in pain.

She wiped the sweat from her brow, and turned her back on him as she moved to her starting position.

"Next?"

No one moved, and she took the moment to shake the red haze of anger away. She meant to taunt Jones, sure, but she didn't mean for it to end up with blood drawn. Not until he mentioned Neal. How dare he… Emma could hear Graham talking to his partner as he helped him up; it sounded like Killian was getting a stern talking to.

She turned around to face Regina, who looked extremely displeased. She was still hyped up from the adrenaline, and had to resist the urge to grin ferally. "So… who's next?"

Regina refused to answer, at first, and Emma couldn't help but prod the other woman a bit. "Seriously, what's the matter? Upset that I blew through your hand-picked candidates?" She was trying to tone it down, she really was, but Jones set her off more than she had expected.

"It's not their performances I'm disappointed in, Miss Swan. It's yours."

Emma had expected that - it had been part of her plan, after all - but the words still stung. She didn't bother to shrug them off; instead, she rested her hands on her hips and frowned. She could feel all eyes on the room track her movements, including Gold's, and she stepped closer to the doctor. "My performance? What about it? I'd say I did alright," she replied, gesturing to the defeated candidates with her scarred arm.

The smaller woman looped the thumb of her free hand through her belt, nearly mirroring Emma's stance. "I watched your every move, Miss Swan, and you wasted time. You played with most of your opponents, taking them out in two or three blows when you could have done it in one. Simply put, you're not fighting to the best of your ability, and that kind of recklessness will put the final mission at great risk."

"'Recklessness'?" Emma saw her opening. "Well, Doctor Mills, why don't you show us how it's done?"

Dark eyes blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Emma stepped back and bent over to pick up her practice staff. "You heard me," she said, twirling the staff lazily. "Show us what you got."

Doctor Mills stepped back and pursed her lips, drawing Emma's attention to that damn scar. She flicked her gaze back to Regina's, and smiled when she saw the challenging look in her eyes. The doctor looked over to Gold, who nodded once, and she stepped out of the room. Regina returned a few minutes later, clad in the same cargo pants as the other candidates, but with a white long sleeved shirt instead of a tank top. She grabbed a staff off the wall and launched into a few practice moves, nodding at the balance of the weapon in hand.

The cargo pants were loose-fitting, but the shirt... it wasn't skin tight, but it was form-fitting enough to hint at exactly how much the doctor worked out in her downtime. She was curvier than Emma, but even a blind man could sense the strength she possessed. Emma felt herself flush, and a bead of sweat slowly trailed down the curve of her spine.

Okay, this was actually a really terrible idea.

Emma had a slight advantage when she fought the other Rangers - she had a general sense of their fighting styles just from watching recordings of their Jaegers in battle. To be fair, they had the same advantage against her, but she knew she was a better solo fighter compared to them. She had the scars to prove it.

Regina was a wild card, though. Emma had commented on the doctor's bearing when they first toured the facility, but she had never seen the other woman in action. She didn't even have the time to scour the training records to watch a simulation match or two.

They took their places on the mat, and bowed slightly to each other. There was a moment of silence - of appraisal - and then an explosion of motion from both women.

The muscles in Regina's forearms flexed as she blocked a sudden strike before swinging her own staff around in an attempt to sweep Emma's leg. Emma shifted just in time to block the maneuver, and found herself on the defensive as the other woman launched into a flurry of blows. She conserved her energy, waiting for her opponent's vigor to whittle down a touch before transitioning into a counterattack, tagging Regina in the leg.

They took to their starting positions again, and Emma could feel the energy radiating off of the brunette. It just clicked - Regina's aggressive stance would probably overwhelm someone like Aurora, or even Graham - but it curbed Emma's desire to grandstand. When Regina surged forward, Emma braced herself for the oncoming attack; likewise, Regina would turn her staff into a stalwart defense when the blonde struck out with a powerful blow. There was an ebb and flow to their combat that Emma never experienced before, not even with Neal-

Regina's staff clocked her in the side, drawing Emma's attention back to the matter at hand. So much for keeping her eye on the prize, she mused, as Regina grinned wickedly at her point. Emma nodded, and they clashed once more, wasting little time between matches.

Some people compared piloting a Jaeger to dancing, with one person leading the other after the initial Handshake. It was a fitting description for some co-pilots, but definitely not all - Neal and Emma usually fought as one unit. If one partner established the lead during one combat session, the other would take over during the next one, keeping the partnership even.

It was a cliche, Emma knew it, but sparring with Regina was both similar and different at the same time. They fought in perfect tandem, switching roles on the fly throughout the sparring session; their transitions from aggressor to defender were seamless and smooth. They came together again and again, trading blows, and Emma tagged the other woman for another point when Regina added a bit of a flourish to her own defensive maneuver.

"I'm pretty sure you just used two hits instead of one, Doctor Mills. Looks like we're all a bit prone to showing off," Emma chided, smiling to take the sting out of her words.

It was probably from the exhaustion of combat, but Emma wanted to believe that the slight blush staining the doctor's tanned skin was from embarrassment. The expression on Regina's face was stern, but the glint in her eye made it seem like maybe she was enjoying this almost as much as Emma was.

They both scored one more point on the other, bringing them to a tie. The fourth point would decide the victor, but Emma felt like she won regardless: she had found her partner.

Regina knocked her to the ground with a sweeping strike, using Emma's own weight against her and pinning her leg to the ground with an arm lock.

"Four for you, Doctor Mills," Emma said, chuckling all the while. Her grin widened when Regina answered with her own tentative smile. "We're done with the testing, right?"

Gold's cane thumped against the floor, silencing everyone. "Not at this time," he said, his voice grim. He directed his gaze to Regina, who turned to address him. "Doctor Mills, you will take the results from today's matches and narrow down the list to-"

"What? No! I know who my partner is!" Emma scrambled to her feet, catching the other woman's shoulder. Regina was turtling up right before her eyes. "Regina, you felt it too - we're Drift compatible. We're a perfect match. You can't just let him do this!" she hissed, glaring at Gold, who stood impassively.

Regina opened her mouth, as if to protest, and paused. The fire in her eyes dimmed, leaving cold ash behind. "I have to go over these combat logs. If you'll excuse me." She shrugged off Emma's hand and stalked out, avoiding everyone's gaze. Gold tried to call out to her, but she stormed past him.

Emma's heart dropped. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Her pulse buzzed in her ears, drowning out the ambient noise in the Combat Room, and her limbs went numb.

She had lost.


	4. Chapter 4

Regina had been hunched over her workstation for days, only taking breaks for nutrition and hygiene. The door had chimed once or twice, but she ignored it, content to bury herself in analyzing the combat logs from Swan's testing. Her unwanted visitors usually got the hint, and left after a few moments of silence.

She kept cycling through the data, trying to figure out who would be the best partner for Emma. She had initially deleted her own records from the set, in an effort to focus on the mission at hand, but her mind wouldn't leave it be. She restored the recordings from her trial against the taller blonde, along with the training simulations she had on file.

Based on the trials from the Kwoon Combat Room, the best potential partners for Emma Swan were Regina Mills and Mulan Wen.

Based on comparisons of previous combat simulations, Regina had the highest theoretical sync percentage.

Regina knew Gold had reservations about her ability to keep vengeance from clouding her judgment, but with these numbers... it was tactically unsound to hold her back. Foolish. Perhaps his renewed vehemence against the idea was connected to Emma?

She used every favor owed her in order to get her hands on every piece of information about the other woman: psyche profiles, combat profiles, background checks, the whole works. She poured through the all of the data, and found herself surprised by the similarities they had growing up, despite being raised in different socio-economic situations: abusive parental figures who lashed out at the slightest provocation; their struggle to make their own way regardless of the circumstances thrust upon them; even their reasons for joining the Program involved the loss of loved ones.

This lent more credence to Regina's opinion that Gold was shooting his nose to spite his face.

She had been reviewing Emma's health records when she discovered the woman had been pregnant when she was seventeen. The blonde had been in juvenile detention for some sort of theft, and had given birth while incarcerated. Emma had given up the child to a private adoption, apparently in hopes that her baby - a boy - would grow up in a better environment than she had dealt with in the foster system.

Regina thought of her own son. It had been hard enough to raise Henry on her own, despite her considerable wealth. She couldn't imagine trying to raise a child fresh out of prison.

Her door chimed, startling her from her thoughts. She jerked to attention, banging her knee against the underside of her desk, and nearly spilled her coffee all over the manila folders scattered about. She hissed, rubbing at her kneecap, and glared at the door. Maybe they'd go away again if she just ignored them.

It chimed again, followed by the intercom buzzing. Gold's voice came through, distorted by the comm. "I know you're in there, Regina. I'd like to talk to you, if you have a moment."

Regina closed her eyes. Her nostrils flared in frustration as she got up to place her key against the access panel. She wasn't sure she was up to facing Gold, but she didn't have a choice - he was her boss, and the director of the Project. The door slid open, and she blinked as the light assaulted her eyes. Gold narrowed his eyes as she moved aside to let him in, frowning all the while. He moved over to her cup of coffee, which had gone cold long ago. "I'd ask how the analysis is going, but considering the appearance of your office..."

The office was rather dark: the overhead lights had been dimmed to maybe twenty five percent normal output, so her monitors provided most of the ambient light in the room. Folders, tablets, and printouts were scattered all about, taking up almost every flat surface.

Regina shrugged off his criticism; it was overpowered by the frustration she felt about being constantly denied as a Ranger. And now that she had finally felt what it was like to connect with a pilot - even one as frustrating as Emma Swan - she was upset, to say the least.

"The analysis is complete," she said. "After reviewing the results, my recommendation is to pull Mulan off of the Sleeping Dragon and transfer her to the Swan Queen." It galled her to stay it, but Mulan was the best eligible candidate, and-

"I find that surprising," Gold interrupted, "considering how your trial went yesterday."

"I... I removed that data from the final review," she muttered. What game was he playing at?

His weathered fingers ghosted over the files on her table, tracing the printed labels with well-manicured nails. "I'm sure you compared your own metrics with Miss Swan," he continued. "It... actually, it looks like you did more than just analyze combat metrics. Where did you get these, Regina?"

She remained quiet at first. She hadn't meant to look so deeply into Swan's history, but she couldn't help it. "I have my own sources," she finally replied, refusing to elaborate.

Gold fixed her with an inscrutable look. "I'm sure you do," he finally said. "If we added your name to the list, would Ms. Wen still be the top contender?"

Regina knew Gold long enough to realize it actually wasn't a rhetorical question. "No, sir... but you already knew that, didn't you?"

Gold looked down. "Yes, I did."

What? "Then why did you-?" Regina tried to rein her emotions in; she wasn't sure if she had been successful. "Why did you deny me... Rupert, what game are you playing at?"

She hardly ever called him by his first name, not since they first met.

"All those times I told you not to let your emotions cloud your judgment, and I ended up doing the very thing I warned you about." He finally looked up at her, a solemn expression on his face. "I'm sure Ms. Wen is an excellent match, but we need more than that. I told Emma this when I first recruited her fresh out of the detention center, and again when I met with her on the Wall: we need the best Rangers for the final push, Doctor Mills."

He reached into his pocket and fished around for a moment, before presenting his closed fist to her. He slowly opened his palm, and Regina went numb. Resting on his palm was Daniel's wedding band, glinting in the dim light of the room.

"Will you join us?"

"Where... where did you get that?" she whispered. Her fingers trembled as she reached out to touch the gold ring, but she stopped just short of doing so. She thought she had lost it forever.

"I always find myself surprised at what survives in the aftermath of tragedy." Gold didn't offer up any more information than that. He added, "I wasn't sure if it was his, at first, and when I confirmed it... I didn't know if you'd want it back, to be honest. I'm not using this as a bribe to get you to join - it's yours, regardless of your decision, and-"

"I'll do it." She gingerly picked up the ring from his hand and stared at it. She couldn't look away. It had been so long, and just having it in her possession helped heal a part of her heart that never fully recovered. "When do I..?"

"In a few hours, unless you need more time?"

"No." She slipped the chain off her neck and unclasped it, sliding Daniel's ring next to her own. The emerald stone sparkled as she held the chain up to look at them both. "I'll... I'll be there."

* * *

Regina walked around the control hub, doing a final sweep before their test run. The renovations had been completed before Gold started his search for Emma Swan, but she hadn't been in there since they did the final touches to the Swan Queen's plasmacasters. The room was dimly lit - most of the light came from the multitude of monitors and panels scattered about. The bulk of the information displays were situated in front of the two pilot harnesses, right above the interfaces that rose from the floor. It was all bright gauges on darkened touch screens, almost like it was taken out of an older science-fiction film. Even the visor on her helmet had a heads-up display containing essential information that could be accessed, even if the main panels went down. She was trailing her gloved hand along the neural connectors of the right pilot station when a voice called out to her.

"Hey! Gotta say, that suit looks good on you, Regina."

Regina smirked, and turned around to face her visitor. "Hmm. It's not the highest of fashion, but it's surprisingly comfortable," she remarked. "It's certainly a step up from your red leather jacket, though."

Emma Swan frowned, and clutched at her heart. "Harsh words, Doctor Mills."

"Harsh, but true." It wasn't true, actually; Regina had seen Emma wandering around in it a few times, and it had grown on her - much like the blonde herself.

"Liar." Blue-green eyes sparkled in excitement. "Are you ready?"

She looked down at herself, examining the dive-suit with a critical eye. Everything seemed to be in place: the black and gray dive-suit's fit was a bit tight, but not uncomfortable; the segmented armor plating on the abdomen allowed for a greater degree of freedom than she had expected; the circuits and ports touching her skin warmed up immediately upon contact with her skin... it was thinner than the practice suits she'd worn during her simulations, but it felt heavier.

She wasn't sure if it was because of its sturdier construction, or if it was the weight of duty settling on her.

Emma moved towards her, her own suit shining in the lights of the control hub, and she walked around Regina. She hummed a bit, and then moved to touch the suit. Regina stepped back, and Emma stopped at the last minute. "I... sorry. Um, do you mind if I tighten up a few things for you?" she asked sheepishly.

"I - no, go ahead." She expected to tense at Emma's tentative touch, but her body stayed relaxed - as relaxed as it could be, at any rate - as deft fingers checked the straps to her armor plating. She jerked around a little bit as Emma tugged on a few straps and pulled some of the plates down. Regina felt a few more lines of cold metal press into her flesh, which warmed up to match her body temperature within seconds.

"There," Emma said, brushing her gloved hands off. "All set. Looks like it was a little loose, but there should be full contact now."

Her breastplate was a bit tighter, but still comfortable. "Thank you, Miss Swan."

Emma rolled her eyes as she tugged her helmet on. Her hair was up in a braid, ensuring that it wouldn't interfere with her vision during combat. "If you call me 'Miss Swan' while Drifting, I swear I'll..." Two technicians entered the control hub, interrupting the taller woman.

"You two ready for the Handshake?" one of the techs asked as they ushered the pilots into their harnesses.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Regina muttered. Her skin grew clammy, and her heart started pounding in her ears. She tried to get her nerves under control; it was just a test run. She managed to swallow her discomfort, at least until the techs left. She started to lick her lips, which were suddenly as dry as sandpaper, as the countdown moved closer to the initial handshake.

"Hey." She glanced over to Emma, who had an encouraging smile on her face. "It'll be okay, Regina. Just remember, don't chase the rabbit."

"'Chase the rabbit'?" That was slang she wasn't familiar with - and she felt her stomach flip when Emma's eyes widened a bit.

"Um, yeah - you know, the RABIT - random access brain impu-"

"Handshake initiated."

Energy travelled down the spinal clamp, relay gel flooded her helmet, and her eyes closed as her mind sank into the Drift.

Everything was fine, at first. Colors were muted - everything had a gray, washed-out appearance, with streaks of bluish-white energy zooming past every once in a while. "So, this is the Drift," she thought, hearing her voice echo in the room of Emma's memories.

The blonde didn't respond. She looked over, a question on her tongue, and… Emma wasn't there. She circled around completely, examining the entire control pod, but there was no sign of the other woman. Her stomach lurched, and suddenly she wasn't in the Swan Queen anymore.

She was in the original Jaeger, as it was before its destruction, and sparks were flying everywhere. A panel to her right exploded, and she flinched as shrapnel flew through her arm and impaled itself into a man's thigh. There was a shriek of metal, and then pure agony in her arm. Smoke was pouring off of Emma's suit, obscuring everything around her.

Another voice screamed alongside Emma's strangled cries, and it took a moment to realize it was her own.

Her partner - Neal Cassidy - tried to talk Emma through the pain, tried to keep her grounded, when another blow jolted the Queen. The force of the impact ripped Cassidy out of his harness, throwing him to the floor and knocking him unconscious. His body was tangled in the wires used to maintain the neural link, but the lines snapped, bleeding relay fluid and energy out at an incredible rate.

She bore witness to Emma's frantic efforts: shunting everything she could over to her lover in hopes of keeping him alive and preventing any sort of permanent brain trauma from the severed link, all while using her broken arm to defend against the Kaiju battering the Queen.

The pain was incredible: her nerves were on fire, sweat dripped into Emma's eyes, the black smoke curled into their lungs, choking them with the result of their failure-

Not enough, not ENOUGH, notenough-

Another blow ripped the Queen's head in half, and it fell into the icy cold depths - along with Neal-

noNoNONO-

Everything went red, and she floundered in the pool of inky darkness materializing under her feet. She tried to find something to latch onto, but the viscous ooze held fast, pulling her into the tar below.

* * *

She was waiting with Daniel at the adoption agency. The final paperwork had been filed, and they just needed to finish up a few formalities before finally taking their little prince home. It had been a relatively short process, all things considered, for which Regina was extremely grateful.

Daniel's shoes clicked on the hard linoleum floor as he paced back and forth, unable to contain his nervous excitement. He kept running his hands through his short brown hair, when he wasn't shoving them in his pockets or fiddling with his wedding ring. She smiled warmly at him when he caught her eye, and he grinned in return, his emerald eyes glinting in the sunlight that came through the windows. She was about to tease him for his impatience when a nurse approached them with a bundle in hand.

"Daniel Havershem? Regina Mills?" the nurse called out loudly, perhaps a bit unnecessarily - they were one of maybe two or three couples there at the moment.

"That's us!" Daniel crowed, rushing to the older gentleman.

"Well, here you go - your little bundle of joy," the nurse said, handing the sleepy baby over into Daniel's trembling hand. "We just need you to sign off on a few more things, and then you take him home."

"Regina, look at him!" he whispered once the man moved away to summon their case worker. "He's so tiny!"

"He certainly is," she cooed, taking the little boy away from her husband's tenuous grasp. "Why hello, Henry. How are you today?"

Bleary blue-green eyes blinked at her, and he made a gurgling sound. Then he yawned, nearly shoving his tiny hand into his mouth.

"My little prince - such a charmer," she murmured, smiling all the while. He settled down, and they set him up in their stroller while they waited for their agent to arrive.

The rest of the paperwork went smoothly, but it took longer than they originally expected. It was almost lunch time, and Regina was starving. Daniel chuckled when a growling noise escaped from her abdomen, and he gestured to a local deli a few blocks down. "Let's get you something to eat," he said.

"Daniel, I can wait, you know-"

"Ah, but you're eating for two now!"

"That's not really accurate," she chided, following behind him with the stroller.

Daniel paused in front of the deli's glass door, and shrugged. "Whatever - we'll need the energy to keep up with little Henry once he wakes u-"

An inhuman roar filled the air, and the glass trembled in its wake.

No. Not here. Not now.

They both looked to the skyline, and Regina seized in fear - a huge, leathery monster towered above them, blotting the sun out of the sky with its girth. Everything changed in an instant - people who had been calmly walking about moments before were now screaming, climbing over each other, scrambling for safety... and the Kaiju was still far off.

Daniel snapped out of his stupor, and grabbed Regina's arm. "C'mon, honey, this way." He started leading them through the panicked crowds, body-checking the people trying to run them over in their haste to escape.

"Daniel, where are we going?" She tightened her grip on the stroller, ducking and weaving as best she could behind her husband. Little Henry woke up, startled by the commotion, and started crying softly. "Shh, little prince, everything's going to be okay."

He ducked into an alleyway and pulled out his phone, tapping on the screen a few times before entering in their location. "There's gotta be an escape route…" he muttered, flipping through city planning documentation and scouring blueprints for the surrounding area.

Regina thanked whatever higher power existed for Daniel's job as a civil engineer.

"C'mon, c'mon... okay, got it." He handed his phone to Regina, and pointed to the highlighted path on the screen. "We're gonna take this through the back alleyways to the Evacuation Center. It's still under construction, and normally we'd have to worry about vagrants, but they're probably on the run right now."

"What?" She stared at the screen incredulously. "Vagrants? Daniel, we can't just run head first into the slums-"

"It'll take us into the heart of the city, Regina, and by that time the Rangers should have killed the thing. If not, well... it'll be a while before that monster hits downtown."

She didn't like it, and she knew he didn't either, but what choice did they have? The city blocks surrounding them were already falling around their head, taking people out with crumbling debris. She pulled the stroller cover down over Henry's face; she knew it wouldn't do much, but she couldn't stand by and do nothing. She hated feeling so helpless.

"Okay, let's go."

They were making decent headway through the rubble, avoiding most of the roving packs. The few people they did run into were either people like themselves, who were taking the most direct path they knew of to the Center, or a few homeless people that were making their way underground. Despite Regina's fears, most of them left the couple alone. A younger man with a stained overcoat and an oversized hat stopped them in the middle of one of the larger alleys, and he smiled. "If you're looking to get to the Evac Center, you'll want to take this route," he said, pulling a soiled cloth aside to reveal a short network of tunnels. "Most people think it's dangerous because of the piping, but personally I think it's safer because not many people take this route. Also, less chance of a building falling directly on you if you're underground, yes?"

"If it's safer, why aren't you taking it?" Daniel countered, drawing himself in front of his family.

"Ahhh, it's not large enough for my hat, you see," the scruffy man replied, pointing to foppish top hat resting on his head. "I'd hate to lose it while going down that maze garden."

Regina didn't like it, not one bit, and the way her husband tensed up let her know he felt the same. "Thanks for the tip, but I think we'll pass."

"Suit yoursel-"

Another roar pierced the air, and everything reverberated with its fury. Scaffolding fell around them, kicking up detritus and grime, and Regina coughed as dust invaded her lungs. There was another vibration, traveling along the ground, shooting up cracked pavement as it continued its path. The sun disappeared, blotted out by something massive, and she looked up.

It was huge, larger than she ever imagined, all scales and teeth and sharp claws. Dark blue liquid was running down from a gaping wound in rivulets, melting the debris in its path. Its eyes were bright gold, with irises like a goat, unblinking, staring straight at her.

"Regina!"

Her mind was short-circuiting, trying to wipe this unnatural creature from reality; its details started to blur into a monstrous void of gaping maws and pools of saliva and-

"REGINA!"

A pair of hands grabbed at her, roughly shaking her to attention. "Honey, I need you to focus!"

She blinked slowly, as if waking from a dream. "Daniel?"

He was holding Henry in his arms, tucking the swaddling all around their little boy. He thrust their crying son in her arms, and started shoving her towards the network. "You need to get out of here, Regina."

"What? Daniel, what's going on?" She finally snapped out of her stupor, and saw the man in the oversized top hat lying on the ground. His head was tilted at an unnatural angle, and blood seeped from his forehead. His hat was a few inches from his outstretched hand. Her gaze shifted from that horrific sight to her husband, who had a bloody gash on his right leg. Bile flooded her mouth. "Oh, my God..."

"Please, Regina, you have to go." Tears were streaming down Daniel's face, leaving tracks on his dust-caked skin. "You need to get to safety."

"I'm not leaving you!" Regina shifted Henry's weight to her left arm, tucking him close to her side, and tried to pull Daniel along with her right arm. "Damn it, Daniel, come on!"

Her heart dropped through the floor, even as she dragged him along - his pants were stained crimson, and his skin took on a deathly pallor. He didn't have the strength to argue, and if he was too weak for that, then he was too weak for-

He finally pried himself away from her, and held her hand in both of his. They were ice cold to the touch, and she shivered.

"I love you, Regina. I've loved you from the moment we met, when I was mucking around in the stables to help pay my way through college, and you were blazing through your AP Bio courses."

"Daniel, no, don't..."

"You were so upset when we lost the baby, but even then, I knew we'd survive, and make a new family."

He kissed her hand with blood-stained lips.

"And look at us, Regina. You, me, and little Henry. It was worth it. And now I need you to make sure you both live through this."

His voice broke, and she started sobbing. "Not without you, Daniel. Please. Don't leave me!"

"We did it, 'gina," he whispered tiredly. "We made it. And you can survive this, too. Take Henry, keep him safe, and when you're ready...

"Make a new family with him, and whoever makes you happy."

Daniel fell silent, and the life faded from his eyes. She couldn't move, even when Henry's cries grew louder, more panicked. She was frozen in place, her hand still holding his, until another inhuman noise assaulted her. She pulled away and closed his eyes with trembling fingers before wrapping both arms around their son and running in earnest.

She dove into the construction zone, stumbling over exposed pipes and wrecked warning signs. She nearly twisted her ankle when the heel of her Manolo Blahnik pump broke off after getting wedged in crumbling pavement. She paused to break the other heel off so she could run more evenly across the fractured surface, and dashed between half-built towers.

She was tired, and dirty, and so very numb. She had seen so many dead and wounded in her mad dash to safety (don't think about Daniel, don't think about Daniel), but even they started to fade away as she kept going. She knew she was lost: she accidentally dropped Daniel's smartphone a few blocks after she left him (abandoned him), and had wandered into a quieter part of the city.

It was like a ghost town. Nothing existed in this city block except for her, her distraught son, and scattered debris. She couldn't hear anything, but she wasn't sure if it was that quiet, or if she lost her hearing in the chaos of the attack. Her legs were like jello, and all she wanted to do was sit down for a moment, shut her eyes, and...

She wanted to wake up. This was a bad dream, it had to be. She would wake up, Daniel would be right beside her, Henry would be sleeping safely in his crib, and-

She moved on instinct, ducking into a narrow alleyway as a clawed appendage crashed into the building next to her. Its alien eyes focused on her, and its head extended from an elongated neck as it peered at her, nearly tilting its head in a complete circle. She couldn't escape, she knew that now, but she'd do anything to protect Henry. She curled into a ball, wrapping herself around his little body like an exoskeleton. He would survive, at least, no matter the cost.

"Stop the run! Shut it down! SHUT IT DOWN!"

She refused to let this thing taker her child.

"Break the neural link, now!"

She would destroy this monster if it was the last thing she did.

"The turbine cannon is powering up!"

A metal fist grabbed the Kaiju's neck, yanking it away from her position. It roared in pain as the Jaeger rammed its handcannon into its ribs, unleashing a barrage of missiles into its lungs. The giant machine attacked again and again, denying the monster a chance to regroup and recuperate. She screwed her eyes shut, unable to witness more destruction.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder, and when she cracked her eyes open, there was a woman with gold-spun hair standing before her, clad in a dark gray battle suit of some sort. It looked like she was trying to say something, but no sound came out of her mouth. Was she saying her name? She didn't know what was going on-

The ground shuddered, and they both snapped their heads in the direction of the Kaiju. It had collapsed into a half-assembled skyscraper, its beams supporting the monster's corpse. The damaged Jaeger's faceplate opened up, revealing an older gentleman with green-gold eyes and long, brown hair. Blood dribbled from his nose, and parts of his suit were smoking, but he smiled when he saw her and her little boy, safe and sound.

The blonde tried to help her up, and everything went dark.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the control pod of the Swan Queen. Emergency lights were flashing, and she saw the overrides lighting up on her control panels. Her dive-suit was drenched, she reeked of sweat and fear, her limbs refused to work... Emma was at her side, helmet torn off, and frantically trying to free her from the harness.

"I got you, Regina, I got you," the blonde whispered as she bonelessly slumped to the floor, tears flowing down her cheeks.


	5. Chapter 5

"Regina, wait! I'm sorry, I should have warned you-"

"Get away from me, Miss Swan!" The tone in the other woman's voice left no room for argument, but when did Emma ever let that stop her?

Besides, she could feel the chasm between them widening, and the other woman was trying to pull away. Emma felt the doctor folding in on herself.

"Regina!" Emma sped up, her footsteps echoing in the empty halls. "Damn it, Regina!" She reached out with a trembling arm, and finally grasped onto the smaller woman's dive-suit. She spun the doctor around to face her, locking her gaze onto bloodshot brown eyes.

Her scarred hands itched to wipe the tears tracking down Regina's cheeks, but she restrained herself. Emma didn't want to upset her partner - and Regina was the one, no matter what anyone else said - any more than she already had. "Listen to me for a second." At Regina's thunderous expression, Emma released her grip and drew back, hands up in a supplicating gesture. "Please?"

It took longer than Emma had liked, but eventually Regina closed her eyes. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled, taking a cleansing breath. Her shoulders tensed, but she nodded - reluctantly. "Go ahead, Miss Swan. Speak."

The blonde looked around, noting the intense, furtive stares of the few crewmen in the area, and she grabbed Regina's hand again. "Follow me," she said, forestalling the other woman's renewed protests. "Let's go somewhere with more privacy."

That clearly appealed to Regina's sense of propriety, which Emma banked on. Besides, it wasn't like she wanted to have this conversation in front of total strangers, either. She took a detour to pick up some packed lunches from her bunker before leading the silent woman through a maze of pipework and catwalks, eventually escorting her to an out-of-the way alcove in the docking area.

They both gingerly sat down on the metal grating, and Emma offered one of the wrapped sandwiches to her partner. Regina looked at her blankly. "Sandwiches? Is this why you dragged me here - for an awkward lunch date? After what just happened-"

"-after what just happened, you need to refuel." Emma set her own sandwich on the grating, and pulled out two bottles of Gatorade from her lunch pail. "I know you probably don't want to eat right now, but I really think you should get something into your system. Drifting is exhausting, even during test runs." She smiled wistfully. "Neal and I would keep those portable marathon gels stashed in the Queen, in case we needed an energy boost before we could make it back to base. The techs hated when we did that; Neal would get relay gel all over the floor when we took our helmets off to chow down. I like 'em, but they're pretty messy, so I figured sandwiches were a better bet."

Regina reluctantly opened her own sandwich, and she frowned. "Spying on me through the neural connection, Miss Swan?"

Emma did her best to ignore the accusatory glare. "We didn't enter the Drift till today, so no, that's not how I figured it out. Give me some credit." The silence stretched on, until she finally admitted, "I did some normal, old-fashioned snooping to see what your favorite sandwich was. I was hoping I could sway you with food or something, after… after our initial argument, and then after the combat testing."

Regina's eyes widened in shock, and Emma would have thought it comical, had they not been red-rimmed from crying. She recovered quickly, however, and ducked her head away from the taller blonde. "Food won't get you very far with me," she huffed.

"Probably not," Emma agreed, smiling slightly as she unwrapped her own sandwich, "but it was all I had on such limited notice. I wanted to stack the odds in my favor with some honey crisp apples, but you probably know how Requisitions can be. I was hoping to snag you for lunch, maybe plead my case... but here we are."

"Yes, after our failed attempt at Drifting."

She inhaled, feeling her chest expand with the humid air surrounding them. "Regina, I... Look, it really was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten lost in my memory. I should have anchored you."

Regina continued staring at her own sandwich. "You already mentioned that."

"I know, I know, but..." Emma blew a few stray blonde hairs from her face. "I thought you'd already experienced the Drift. I didn't consider that you might have been going in blind, but I should have - it's not like we have a ton of people to practice with anymore, right? And even if you had connected with someone else before, I should have warned you about my memories - about Neal."

The other woman finally took a ginger bite of her own sandwich, and chewed slowly. Finally, she said, "I never made a neural connection with anyone prior to this, in part because I didn't want anyone intruding on my memories. You seemed so confident about us connecting, and I allowed myself to believe that maybe you wouldn't see..."

Emma drew back, brow furrowed. "Uh, no offense, but you must have had some shitty instructors if you were told that you could hold back on anything for long in the Drift. Not many people are able to do that."

"Perhaps they were trying to humor me. Gold tried to warn me, numerous times, but no one else was quite so emphatic about it.

"I should have listened to him."

"That man definitely knows what he's talking about. I've heard he doesn't bring anything with him in the Drift; it's all locked away somehow," Emma finally took a bite of her own sandwich, which tasted little better than sawdust. She blew her rations from the past few days on making sure Regina's sandwich was decent.

"You seem to respect him a great deal, Miss Swan." Emma picked up on the questioning tone in the doctor's voice.

"Of course I do," she agreed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She reached into her pail and pulled out a napkin for the smaller woman to use before Regina's expression froze into a permanent look of disgust. "He's one of the greatest Rangers in the history of the program. What he's been able to pull together since the funding was cut… it's incredible."

Regina gingerly took the napkin - and started shredding it: small tears, hardly noticeable, but Emma caught it all the same. The doctor probably wasn't even aware that she was doing it as she took a steadying breath. "But… he ruined your career, Emma."

Emma shook her head, causing her golden curls to fall around her shoulders. "Is that what he told you?" she asked. "Scratch that - he must've said that if you're bringing it up. Here's the thing: he probably sped up the process, sure, but I was doing a pretty good job of it on my own. I don't know how much you saw in the Drift, after what happened in Alaska, but I resigned. The shrinks couldn't help me, Gold was pissed as shit - of course he was; I cost him his son - and I couldn't stand being surrounded by reminders of Neal, of what we had accomplished before I lost him.

"I knew Gold was trying to force me off the grid, so I helped him along. Sold off the bulk of my personal possessions, gathered the cash I had, and left. Spent a lot of time in bars, flophouses, whatever - just like when I was in the foster system. It was like going home, at least for a little bit, you know? When I finally burned through my savings, I was able to get a construction job working on the Wall."

Regina folded her hands in her lap. "Why did you agree to work with him again, if I may ask?"

She squinted, directing her gaze upward. "When Gold came to me, he asked me how I wanted to go out in this world. I guess… I guess if I'm going to die, I'd rather be in the Queen instead of hanging off an I-beam. I mean, not that I want to die or anything."

Not anymore, she thought, glancing at the woman beside her.

"I see."

Emma wasn't sure if she did. For someone so brilliant, Regina Mills seemed to miss a few things here and there. They were still linked, even if Regina couldn't feel it, and that tenuous connection was filling in some of the cracks that Neal's death left behind. Emma didn't want to ruin anything with the stupid crush she was quickly developing on the other woman.

"It's the Swan Queen now," the doctor eventually said, staring at the huge machine in the distance.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Still not comfortable with the rebranding."

"Perhaps this is Gold's way of trying to make amends somehow? By naming it after you?" Regina's tone indicated that she was just as lost as Emma was.

Emma merely snorted, and continued eating her sandwich.

* * *

They had just announced the plan for the Final Strike: Sleeping Dragon and the White Knight would escort Jagged Hook to the trans-dimensional tear that the Kaiju were emerging from, and blow it up with a nuclear bomb, hopefully before the so-called "Triple Event" theorized by Professor Lucas could come to pass.

The Swan Queen was nowhere on the roster.

Emma was furious. "Why the hell did he track me down at the Wall, just to have us sit this out?" she demanded, and insisted on arguing their case to Gold.

It warmed Regina's heart, just a bit, to have Emma defending her. Still, it was understandable why Regina would be omitted from the battle plans after what had happened in their test run with the Swan Queen. It was bad enough that she lost herself in the Drift, let alone activating its weaponry while she was trapped within her memories.

Emma could have been out there, though, if she had just agreed to test the neural link with Mulan.

They reached Gold's door, only to find it locked shut. Emma insisted on waiting for Gold to "become available," but Regina had a feeling it would be a while. She could hear arguing, even through the thick metal plating.

"Why Gold agreed to try any of this, I'll never know." Regina nearly jumped, startled by Killian Jones's rough voice. "But it's over and done with, so why don't you get back to your lab, Doctor?"

Her relationship had always been strained with Jones; they worked well together when they weren't bristling in each other's presence, but they clashed more often than not. He acknowledged her prowess in designing and restoring the Jaegers, but chided her a few times once he discovered her aspirations to join the Program as a Ranger.

The test run just added more fuel to the fire - and why wouldn't it? He was right: it was an unmitigated disaster. She had almost set off that damned cannon, and if it weren't for Graham and Eugenia Lucas shutting everything down...

"Why don't you back off and go lick your own wounds, Killian?" Emma stepped up next to Regina, fists clenched. "Still sore that Regina got the better of me, when you couldn't last a minute?"

"Emma, don't." Regina didn't need this. She appreciated Emma coming to her defense, but-

"I might not have her 'staying power', love, but at least I know how to use it." He shifted his attention to the blonde, and the look in his eyes made Regina's hair stand on end.

If Emma was affected by it, she didn't show it. "Yeah, after how many years of fumbling around, Jones?" When he didn't answer, Emma continued. "She didn't have the luxury of practicing in a staging pod like we did, so back off."

Jones walked a bit closer, his dark green suit creaking with each movement. "Maybe she didn't, but you did, little bird, and you still fucked it up." He was a few feet from them, close enough to make her feel uneasy. "Seems like the only things you're good at is screwing up and running, Swan, so why don't you disappear back into the Wall you wasted so much time building? Before you get someone else's beloved killed, instead of your own?"

Her sense of self seemed to lurch as fire spread through her limbs - Killian had no idea what he was talking about, no idea what they had suffered through, no idea what they lost… She lashed out before Jones could blink. Her palm connected with his breastplate, and she pushed him away from them. She crowded his personal space, narrowing her eyes as she glared up at him. "I highly suggest you stop antagonizing Miss Swan this instant, Mr. Jones."

His face screwed up in anger, and he stepped back a bit. "Give me one good reason why I should listen to a pair of bitches that should be leashed and muzzled-"

His head snapped back suddenly, and he stumbled into the wall next to him. He put his hand up to his nose and snarled when he pulled it away; his fingers were coated in a thin layer of blood. Regina looked to Emma, who was shaking her right fist slightly - her glove had a bit of crimson on the knuckle guard. The taller woman stepped between them and drew herself up to her full height.

"I don't know what your problem is with me, Jones, and quite frankly, I don't care anymore - but you will apologize to Doctor Mills."

"Gotta stick up for your girlfriend, hmm?" He drew his hand across his face, smearing the blood away from his nose. "Let's see how well you do outside of the ring."

It was obvious that Emma was itching to pounce. However, the blonde paused for a moment to look over her shoulder at Regina. Her eyes were burning bright with the desire to knock Jones out, but Regina could feel her holding back, as if Emma was waiting for approval. She nodded sharply, giving the other woman her permission, and stepped back as the fight started in earnest.

Regina had been surprised at how brutal their sparring match was in the Combat Room, but this confrontation blew it out the water. Both Rangers were going for blood; Jones in particular was trying his best to land a few blows on Emma's chin. For her part, Emma blocked the incoming jabs, opening herself up just a bit so she could strike in Killian's exposed weak spots. His reach was longer, but Emma was quicker; she drew him out so he overextended his arm, and dropped down to sweep the leg before he could pull back. He thudded against the hard metal floor, his head lolling about, and Emma fell on him like a wolf, pinning his leg in a variation of the move Regina had used against her.

She finally noticed the small crowd that had circled around them, forming a makeshift ring in their own right. Regina even spotted the Nolans watching the events unfold, standing in the shadows of the hallway. She tucked her hair back behind her ear, and fixed them with a challenging stare. No one moved to interrupt, until Graham burst through Gold's door, weaving his way through the crowd.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he roared, hauling Emma off of his partner by the arm. "Swan, Mills, I want answers!"

"Maybe you ought to focus on keeping your partner on a short chain, instead of leashing and muzzling us 'bitches'," Regina spat, reaching out to steady Emma as she pushed herself up from the ground. Her tongue burned as she said the words. She was no prude, but the way Jones said it… it was like something curdled in her mouth.

"What?" Graham blinked at her, stunned. Regina almost never used profanity in front of others. "Killian..." his voice was laced with a warning.

"I take it back - you don't need to be muzzled," Killian growled, "you should be put down!"

"You fucking asshole-!" Emma tried to launch herself at Jones, but Regina put her hands on Emma's chest, forcing her back. The blonde's entire body thrummed with adrenaline - and the overwhelming desire to beat Killian to a pulp.

"Not now," she murmured, and she sighed in relief when Emma eased up under her gentle touch.

"God damn it, Killian. I should let Swan have her way with you for shit like this. You're going to the Infirmary." He looked at Emma, who was sporting a few bruises of her own. "You too, Emma."

"Not with him, she's not." Regina didn't want Jones anywhere near the other woman.

"Regina, I'll meet up with you at the infirmary in a bit," Emma hedged, cradling her arm slightly. "I need to talk to Gold about something first."

She made her way past the gathered crew, her blonde hair streaming behind her, as she stormed into Gold's office.

Regina felt alone, despite the crowd still lingering. Emma's sudden exit left her feeling exposed, even if she could still feel the other woman's presence in her mind; she wished she had her lab coat to use as a shield against the stares of the witnesses. The Nolans moved through the crowd, jostling the bystanders with their bulky dive-suits, and stopped just short of invading Regina's boundaries. They gave each other a look, and then appraised Regina as though seeing her for the first time. She bristled under their scrutiny, but withstood their examination without a flinch. She wouldn't back down from those two.

Mary Margaret smiled slightly, and David put his massive hand on her shoulder.

"Welcome, Ranger Mills," they said in unison. They nodded at her, respectfully, and then walked back to wherever they were originally headed.

The tightness in her chest eased a bit, even as the crowd's focus intensified.

Who would have thought that the pilots she had the biggest issues with would be the first to accept her into their ranks?


	6. Chapter 6

Emma slammed her access chip against the security pad, tapping her foot all the while. If her security access had been revoked, she was going to rip out the wiring and-

The metal door slid open, granting her entrance into Gold's domain.

The Marshal was sitting at his desk - a large, antique wooden desk that screamed masculinity, its polished dark surface absorbing most of the light in the room. There were wooden shelves everywhere, filled to the brim with various knick knacks: puppets with faded features, tarnished coins, rusted daggers, brass trinkets she couldn't even recognize... it was like stepping right into a pawn shop from Victorian London.

Gold pulled off a pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses and peered up at Emma, displeased. "Do I even want to know what happened outside my office doors?" he asked, gesturing to her bruised face.

Emma ignored the question. "You're holding Regina back. Why?"

Gold grabbed his cane and stood up, his long, gray-streaked hair falling mid-shoulder against his black pinstripe suit. "She is inexperienced, Emma. You would do well to find another pilot, perhaps work with Ms. Wen-"

"Bullshit! You know she's the best for the job - you were there. I saw it in your eyes, before you shoved it down and booted her out of the Combat Room. You witnessed how flawless the initial Handshake went - that almost never happens! Not even with..." She wouldn't bring Neal into this conversation, not if she could help it. "You're holding her back, Gold! You rescued her from Onibaba, showing her a path where she could fight back against these things, and then you yanked that opportunity away from her when she tried to join the Program! What the hell?"

"Did it occur to you that I'm holding her back for her own good? She lost control and nearly deployed the Turbine plasma cannon - during a simulation! I trained her to be better than tha-" he started coughing suddenly, and folded in on himself as his body shuddered.

"Sir? Gold, are you alright? What's going on?" She moved around his desk and grabbed his elbow to steady him. Bloody spittle was flying from his lips, splattering against the antique globe situated by the port window.

Gold spun around, his eyes glittering with derision as he ripped his arm away. "Don't you ever touch me again, Emma Swan. You have no idea who the hell I am, or where I've come from. You have no idea what I've sacrificed for this, and I am not about to explain my reasons for anything to you. All I need is your compliance and your fighting skills, and if I can't get that from y-"

"If that's really all you want, then let us go out there!" she roared, throwing her arms out to the side in challenge. "This wouldn't have happened if you let go of your fear, and let her join the first time around!"

"How dare you-"

"You think I don't know who the hell you are? Maybe you're right, Gold, but don't assume I'm completely in the dark." Emma knew she was treading on thin ice, but damn it all, she couldn't let this drop.

"Tell me, then, Miss Swan. What do you know about me?" He stepped closer, leaning heavily on his cane as he peered into her eyes.

"I know how much you lost, Gold. Your wife was ripped from you in the first wave, and you sacrificed your relationship with Neal when you focused on establishing the Program." She braced for impact as Gold's grip tightened around his cane, his knuckles turning bone-white. "And then you lost him again, right when you got him back. Neal was torn away when I let him down - when I let you both down. Maybe you didn't want Regina to join the Program because you're afraid she'll go next.

"Maybe-" she sobered up as the thought entered her mind. "Maybe you're afraid I'll let her down, too."

She fell back, suddenly exhausted. "Never mind. Forget I said anything, Sir."

Gold remained silent, fuming, but his grip slowly relaxed. Emma waited around for him to say something - a reprimand, orders to leave the Shatterdome, anything. It stretched on and on, and eventually she turned to leave.

Gold called out to her.

"I expect you to keep training with Doctor Mills, Emma."

She looked back at him, but he was gazing out the window, hands folded behind his back. She was at a loss for words, until he raised one hand to his ear, expecting her to respond.

A small grin finally tugged at her lips, and she saluted. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

Regina was equal parts surprised and confused when she received a meeting request from Emma. Her confusion only grew when she opened it to read the meeting details.

'You, me, and a rematch in the Combat Room. Interested? - ES'

Now the surprise took over. Emma's performance during the initial assessment demonstrated the blonde's fiercely competitive nature, and the full-blown fisticuffs with Jones just after their blown training session solidified it. If Emma wanted to take her frustrations out on Regina, wouldn't she have challenged her earlier? Perhaps even before their Handshake?

She immediately threw out that line of reasoning. She would have expected it before the combat assessment, or even right after, but other woman had done nothing but support Regina since Gold let her join the Program as a pilot.

No, it wasn't frustration that prompted the request, Regina was sure of it. Her curiosity was piqued, and so she agreed to Emma's proposed time. She couldn't figure out the other woman's motives for the invitation, but if nothing else, she'd be able to work out some of her own frustrations.

Regina clicked on the "Accept" icon without even thinking, and started packing up her gym bag.

* * *

The ceiling needed a fresh coat of paint, Regina decided, as she lay flat on her back. That last hit had really knocked the wind out of her. Perhaps she'd put in a maintenance request. Her view of the rusted tiles was invaded by Emma's face staring down at her, concern written all over her features. "Damn it. Regina, you okay?"

She blinked a few times, and each time she did so her vision cleared up a bit. "I'm fine, Emma," she replied, wincing with the effort. "You just caught me with my guard down, that's all."

"Shit." Emma fell into a crouching position, wrapping her hands around Regina's arm. "Do you need any help getting up? I can go get a medic, or-"

"Miss Swan, I can assure you, I am quite alright," she groused, waving Emma off. "I just need a moment, that's all."

Emma huffed, but the blonde released her. Regina took a deep breath, trying to gather her wits, when she felt the other woman settle next to her. She looked at Emma from the corner of her eye, and quickly shifted her attention back to the ceiling when she noticed Emma's eyes focusing on her. The blonde's eyes were more brilliant green than bright blue, Regina noticed. Usually it was the other way around. She wondered if it was because of the red accents in the Combat Room.

"So... you have a son - Henry, right?" Emma's voice sounded unusually loud in the empty combat room. Regina nodded in the affirmative, silently wondering where the conversation was going. "Do you have... uh, is there a significant other? I mean-"

She should have been offended by Emma's tactless prodding, but it was obvious that she meant well. "There's been no one - well, not on a permanent basis - since my late husband," she replied, taking the pressure off of the younger woman. "My good friend Kathryn and her husband Frederick are watching over Henry during my deployment."

The blonde's posture sagged in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I mean, that he's okay. You know." Emma's cheeks grew pink. "I'm really glad you don't have to do it alone. Raise him, I mean. Especially with everything going on."

"I'm very grateful to have them in my life," Regina replied. "They've done more for me in a few years than my mother ever did-" she stopped short, suddenly conscious of Emma's own fractured past. Her mother was abusive, but at least she had a mother, versus-

"I get that." Emma propped herself up on her elbows. "I, uh. I had a son."

Regina's eyebrows shot to her hairline. She knew about Emma's pregnancy already, but she didn't think the other woman would bring it up. It looked like she was going to say more, but Regina couldn't let her do that - she couldn't let Emma think she was confiding one of her biggest secrets to her. "I know," she murmured, and she kept her gaze to the ceiling. "I... I found it in your records."

Now it was Emma's turn to stop abruptly. Regina could feel Emma's eyes on her, and a few beads of sweat formed at her hairline. She finally looked at the blonde, but her expression was unreadable. Emma chuckled suddenly, and Regina didn't quite know what to make of it. "I should have known you'd know," Emma explained. "I mean, you're Gold's right hand, and he's the one who brought me into the Program, shortly before I gave birth."

"Oh." That was certainly news to Regina. "Gold recruited you while you…"

"While I was in jail? Yeah. It was like a work release or something. I wondered about it too, but my records were sealed because technically I was a minor at the time." Emma didn't offer any more information on that front. "It was really awkward when Neal and I saw each other again, though."

"Neal Cassidy? Your partner? I'm afraid I don't understand." She really didn't.

"Well... here's something not on file: Neal was my kid's dad."

Regina's eyes had to be as wide as saucers. "I - what?"

What?

Emma continued on, nonplussed. "Yeah. We were dating before I was arrested, doing petty crimes and stuff to get by on the West Coast, when a Kaiju attacked. We were split up during the evac, and I tried unloading some watches from our last haul to get some quick cash so I could search for him. The watches were super-hot, so I was busted before I had a chance to find a buyer. I thought maybe he set me up or something, but...

"Turns out he had been injured pretty badly in the attack, and had to stay in the hospital for a while. I was already in jail for a few months by the time he was released."

"I..." Regina was truly stunned. "How did Mr. Cassidy react, when you finally reconnected?"

"Not well, really, but then again, neither did I. We 'reconnected' right when I found out that he was going to be my partner for the Queen. Nearly flushed our sync ratio down the toilet. Once we hashed it out, though, he understood why I did what I did." A warm smile flitted across Emma's face, and her expression turned soft. "We eventually got to a point where we wanted to try our hand at rekindling our relationship. It actually went pretty well, too, until..."

She felt a sharp jab in her chest, and she rubbed at the spot, but it wouldn't dull or fade away. Emma mimicked the motion, and that's when Regina realized what it was: the pain that Regina first witnessed when Emma saw the rebuilt Swan Queen, the same pain that weighed on her own chest since she lost Daniel.

"Does Gold know? About your son, I mean." Regina couldn't imagine that Gold leaving his grandson to the mercies of the adoption system.

Emma frowned a bit. "If he does, well, Neal never told him. I brought it up once - telling Gold, I mean. Neal said not to worry about it, but... Shit, maybe he did know somehow." She started worrying at her lip, and her stare grew distant.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Regina didn't mean to worry her partner. "I don't think Gold would have done anything to harm-"

"What? Oh, that's not it. I just..." Emma finally dragged her gaze back to the brunette. "He promised he'd make sure the baby got into a good home, so - maybe he knew after all."

Maybe he did. Regina learned to never be surprised by Gold's information. "Are you going to ask him about it?"

"Hmmm - good question. I dunno. Maybe when this is all over."

'If we survive' was the unspoken thought.

Regina cleared her throat, and tentatively put her hand on Emma's wrist. "Emma. Why'd you tell me all of this?"

Emma sighed and laid back down on the mat. "I just - I just wanted to put us on even footing, I guess."

"Really? How so?"

"Sharing information in the Drift can turn into 'tit for tat' between some pilots," Emma explained, staring up at the ceiling. "Not often, you know - those kinds of partnerships don't last very long in most cases, but I don't want that to happen with us."

They'd have to have a shot at actually entering the Drift again for that to happen, however. Regina dragged herself from that line of thinking - it wouldn't do any good to dwell on that right now.

The two women sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, and then Emma patted Regina's thigh. She twitched in response, feeling the flush of attraction spread through her. "C'mon," the blonde said, hauling herself to her feet. "Let's get you checked out. You still seem a little out of it."

Regina wanted to protest - the only thing that was out of sorts was her emotions, but did as she was told and followed Emma to the infirmary. She did a double take when Emma made a detour to her quarters, and shot the other woman a questioning look. "I figured I could get Doc Hopper to take a look first, to make sure it's nothing too serious." Regina felt her lips turn downward, and Emma spread her hands in supplication. "C'mon, it won't take long, and he's a good guy. If we go to Medical, you might get booted off the roster."

"That would matter if I was actually on the roster," Regina muttered bitterly.

Emma gave her a mysterious smile. "Well, you never know," she murmured, tapping the intercom and patching in to Hopper's direct line. "Hey, doc! It's Emma! You got a moment?"


	7. Chapter 7

Alarms started blaring, jerking her awake, and she shucked her tank top and boxers to start suiting up. She was halfway through tugging her dive-suit pants over her legs when the brain fog cleared, and she remembered she wasn't on the roster.

She sighed, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face, and flopped back on the bed for a second. She could strip down again and throw on some skinny jeans, or go out in public as she was - once she threw a top on, at least.

The jeans were harder to pull on than the dive-suit's leggings, really, so she finished zipping them in place before sliding her steel-toed boots over her socks. Once everything was adjusted, she pulled a clean blue-gray Henley over her head, slipped her arms through the sleeves, and threw her hair into a messy ponytail.

Satisfied that she was mostly decent, she exited her quarters and made her way to the Command Center. Everyone was running around the Shatterdome, but at least it was in an orderly fashion; it was definitely a lot harder to get anywhere in the place when panic reigned supreme. She pressed her chip to the panel, and sighed in relief when it opened - Gold ordered her to keep training with Regina, but that didn't mean someone else wouldn't have tried to mess with her security clearance.

When she walked in, she saw the brunette hunched over some output displays, monitoring the Jaegers as they were being deployed. Eugenia Lucas was pacing back and forth, shouting at Gold for something, while the older gentleman just stood there, focusing on the main screen.

"You moron!" the older woman roared, slamming her fists on the cold metal surface in front of her. "What did you think you were doing, sending my Red out there?!"

Wait, what?

"She volunteered, Ms. Lucas," Gold replied. He winced slightly when the older woman snarled at him, her hands curled into claws as she approached again. "I wouldn't have let her go out if I had known that a Kaiju assault would hit Hong Kong so quickly."

She removed her glasses and stared the man down. "If anything happens to her, Rupert..."

"I know." The look on Gold's face attested to that fact, and Eugenia deflated a bit in response. "The original plan was to keep Jagged Hook in reserve, but I'll deploy it at the first sign of trouble, Eugenia. I promise."

Emma wanted to ask what was going on, but she was distracted by sniffling off to her left. She turned around and spied Belle French hunched over her own workstation, trying - and failing - to keep her crying discreet. "Hey, Professor French, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"It's my fault," the petite woman whispered, wiping at her eyes. She looked like a wreck: her make-up was running down her face, her curls were a mess, and her nose was bright red from crying. "My calculations must have been off. I knew a double event would happen, but it shouldn't have been this soon-"

Emma didn't know the specifics of French's career with the Program, but she did know that the professor was in charge of predicting when a Kaiju attack would occur. She was a master of probability mathematics, or something like it - Emma wasn't sure what it was called, but whatever it was, Belle French was damn good at it. For this to catch her unaware, while her research partner was land-bound...

"It's not your fault," Emma replied, trying to comfort the other woman. Even if Belle's calculations had been in error, Emma refused to put the blame on her shoulders; forecasting could only do so much. "Why did Gold order her to go landside, anyway?"

"That impetuous, irresponsible fool Drifted with a Kaiju!" Belle hissed fiercely, wrapping her hands around her tablet with an iron grip. "She just went, 'let's see if we can find out what they're thinking' and used a relay spike right into the Kaiju's preserved brain stem! I was doing calculations one moment, and trying to stabilize her the next!"

Emma's eyes widened with surprise, concern, and no small amount of respect. Ruby Lucas wanted to see a Kaiju up close; establishing a neural link with one - even if it was technically deceased - was as close as Emma could think of. Not to mention reckless, even by her standards. "Holy shit."

"And then Gold gives her permission to search out Hannibal Whale, and get another brain from the Black Market! Whale! One of the most dangerous brokers in Hong Kong!"

"The Nolans won't even deal with him," Regina called out, dragging her attention away from her monitor for a moment.

"Let me get this straight," Emma said, holding her hands up to pause the conversation so she could get her bearings. "We have this 'double event' going on - I'm assuming this means two Kaiju left the Breach - and we have one half of our Research team looking for a Kaiju brain because..?"

Gold finally turned to look at Emma, a scowl on his face. "We need to find out when they're planning to deploy their final push."

French sniffled once more before launching into a short explanation. "Ruby - when she came to, she said she knew what their purpose was. They're a strike force, created by another race, to wipe us out-"

"-so they can move in," Gold finished.

"First contact happened during the age of the dinosaurs," Belle continued, "but the planet's environment was inhospitable for them, to say the least. Humans have practically terraformed it for them since then, however, so now..."

"...they're trying to force us out." Emma's head was pounding; this was not what she expected when she heard the alarm go off.

There was a loud screeching noise, and one of the monitors went dark. Emma looked over to Regina, whose fingers were flying over the touchscreen interface to bring up status reports. "Damn it," the brunette muttered. "I think we lost Sleeping Dragon."

"What?" Gold rushed over to her, hobbling on his cane as fast as he could manage. "What do you mean, we 'lost' Sleeping Dragon?"

"'Lost' as in 'destroyed'." Regina pulled up another screen, detailing the biology of the Kaiju that were assaulting Hong Kong. "These two are Category IVs, Gold. Not only that, but they're... it's almost like they were tailored specifically to take out Sleeping Dragon and White Knight."

"Shit. If that's really the case, then - what if Belle's 'double event' happened earlier than predicted because..." Emma's voice trailed off, and she locked eyes with Regina.

"...their creators were able to access Professor Lucas's knowledge via the Drift? And now they know we're working on destroying the Breach?" the brunette supplied, completing Emma's train of thought.

"Then we're in more trouble than we thought," Gold replied, stalking back over to his comm station. He opened up the channel to all three Jaegers and issued an order to pull back temporarily.

"Nyet!" Mary Margaret's voice came over the system, scratchy from signal interference. "They have disabled Sleeping Dragon, and are making their way to the docks."

"We are going to engage," David's voice echoed. "White Knight will buy Jagged Hook time to join the fight."

"Finally," Jones's voice came over a separate line. "Let's show these bastards who runs this show!"

Emma definitely had no love for Jones, but if the monsters were tailor-made to take them out... she didn't want to lose any more Rangers - including Killian. "Damn it, Jones, cool your jets," she whispered, clenching her fists at her sides. "Don't let them goad you."

Gold started shouting out orders for recovery scouts to secure Sleeping Dragon once the area was clear. Regina gave up on bringing Sleeping Dragon's status screen back online, and shifted the channel to a local news station, which had first-hand coverage of the Kaiju's assault. Sure enough, a replay of Sleeping Dragon's destruction was on air - one of the Kaiju tore the "head" off of the Jaeger's neck with a hidden pincer at the end of its tail. It proceeded to fling it into the ocean, and continued its attacks on the humongous White Knight. Another Kaiju came up behind the Knight, pounding at it with massive slam attacks, while the first one moved in with its pincers. Regina switched the signal feed again, bringing up footage from the Shatterdome's sensors.

Jagged Hook was moving swiftly, cutting a path through the dangerous ocean waves with unerring accuracy. The Rangers arrived just in time to see the pincers from the first creature puncture the Knight's armored plating. The second one grappled the Jaeger, forcing its claws into the holes its partner made, and pulling the plates aside. Water was rushing into the great machine, reducing its mobility.

Everyone in the Control Room watched in horror as the White Knight fought a losing battle. "Can't... can't they just use their escape pods?" Belle whispered.

Blood drained from her face when Regina replied. "No, they can't," the doctor said quietly. "Mark I models from Russia were never built with escape pods. Their pilots would rather go down with their Jaeger, and their partner, than run away from their enemies. I offered to retrofit the White Knight when I was working on the Swan Queen, but the Nolans refused."

Silence reigned as the White Knight grappled with both Kaiju, dragging them as far away from Hong Kong as possible even as it started to shut down. It stumbled and dropped to one knee as the monsters tag-teamed it. Jagged Hook arrived moments later, its massive ogre hook ready to cleave into the brawling heavy-hitter, when a burst of lightning shot out from the base of its skull.

The signal cut out, as did the monitors for the White Knight and Jagged Hook. Regina flipped through local news channels, which were also blacked out, and she tried to bring something back online. The lights flickered, and then everything in the Control Room powered down, casting everything into complete darkness.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Emma groaned, slowly making her way to one of the emergency panels. She knelt down, grateful for her dive-suit's knee guards as the metal grating bit into them, and started fishing around for the release latch. She finally snagged it, flipped it up, and turned the larger lock so the panel pushed itself away from the wall. She pulled it off its hinges, setting it beside her, and started looking at the emergency circuit breakers. "I think… yeah, that's the one." She stuck part of her torso into the portal and grasped one of the main breakers, and heaved with all her might. There was a buzzing sound, followed by the smell of ozone - and the emergency lights coming back on in the room.

"What on Earth happened?" Belle asked, looking around in confusion.

Eugenia rushed over to her station and analyzed the data streaming in from the back-up sensors. "That thing just fired a massive EMP, that's what happened."

"Confirmed," Regina said, flipping through her displays as more emergency power was routed through the Shatterdome. "All major systems are offline."

"We're down too," Humbert's voice finally came over the comm, crackling with interference. "We're sitting ducks out here, Gold. Any suggestions?"

The older man looked to Lucas, who continued reviewing the incoming status reports. "I can get us up and running in about two hours, and that's pushing it. And even if we're up by then, we don't have any backup to send out for Jagged Hook."

He started pacing about the Command Room. His eyes darted from side to side; Emma knew from experience that he was quickly flipping through every option he could think of - and was probably discarding them just as fast.

She hated to admit it, but it looked like he was coming up empty. Gold, one of the greatest Rangers in the Program, renowned for his skill in the field and his tactical decisions outside of combat, the man who had hunted her down for his Final Push-

"The Swan Queen." Regina breathed. She looked at Emma nervously, before focusing her attention on Gold. "She runs on nuclear, and her cooling system's already topped up, so we can get her up and running."

Emma nodded in agreement. She had just about said the same thing, but the smaller woman beat her to the punch.

Jones squawked in protest. "You are not sending those two out he-"

Gold ignored his outburst, and gave Regina an appraising look. She stood her ground, bracing for anything the director had to say about her idea, and it took all of Emma's willpower to not join her partner. This was something student and mentor had to hash out once and for all, even if the timing left something to be desired.

"Swan, Mills - suit up."

Regina snapped her head to look at Emma, and the blonde gestured to Regina's pantsuit. "I'm already halfway there, Doctor Mills. Let's see if we can get you out of your fancy heels before we head out."

Regina shook her head, walking shoulder to shoulder with Emma as they headed towards the hangar bay.


	8. Chapter 8

The Handshake went as smoothly as it had during their test run, but Emma could feel the anxiety radiating off of the other woman. She tried to talk Regina down a bit as they suited up, pointing out how much time they'd spent training since the first run, and how they were getting to know each other better - what else could go wrong? It helped a bit, but Regina was still tense. Emma tried to think of something calming in her own life to help put the brunette at ease, but so many of her memories were shaped by her experiences in the foster system.

The blonde finally focused on the birth of her baby boy. She never wanted to give him up, but she did it because she knew she was giving him the best chance she could. Letting him go nearly broke her, but the recruiters gave her a purpose: to fight against these monsters so her son could grow up safe from them, no matter where he lived or who he was with.

Emma saw herself in the hospital, right after the doctors delivered him. She originally thought she'd push him away when the doctor tried to put him in her trembling arms, but something tugged at her soul when she finally looked down into his bright eyes.

"Hey there, little guy," she whispered hoarsely, tracing his eyebrows with a light touch. "This is probably the first and the last time we'll get a chance to talk, so... I don't want to give you up. I really don't, but I think it's the best option. If I keep you, I'll probably end up in jail again trying to make this work, and you'll end up in the system like I did.

"Don't you worry, though. I tried to line you up with a good home. I couldn't do much on my own, but - the guy I'm working with is making sure you're taken care of. I promised to join his program if he tried to make sure you didn't end up in some shithole."

She pulled him a bit closer and kissed his temple. "I think he might have helped you out anyway, but don't tell him I said that." She could hear the nurses coming to take him away, so she struggled to think of the very last thing she would be able to tell him. "I wish I had some words of wisdom, but I gave birth to you in a jail ward, so I'm not one to talk. Let's see... don't be an asshole; respect your parents - unless this guy fucks it up and sends you to some horrible people, then get the hell out of Dodge; don't get into too much trouble; and don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

"I love you, little man."

She saw Regina standing outside of the room, her gloved hand pressed against the window. The other woman moved through the nursing staff, passing through them like a ghost, until she was right next to Emma's hospital bed. "You really do love him, don't you?" she asked, eyes wide. "After all these years..."

"Yeah, I do."

Everything in the room vanished, including Emma's younger self, and the other woman spun around to see Emma standing beside her in her dive-suit. Regina's eyes were shining in the ambient light of the Drift. "You... you didn't have to show me that, Emma."

"I'm sorry," Emma said immediately, bile rising up in her throat. "I didn't - I just thought that I'd try to give you one of my better memories, instead of having a repeat of what happened last time. I didn't think about the miscar-"

"No, that's not what I meant." Emma jumped as tentative fingers wrapped themselves around her shaking hand. "Sorry. I - thank you, for sharing that with me."

"Drift Synchronization is complete, and holding at 100%." French's voice sounded through the comm links, bringing them out of their shared memories. Regina gasped when she saw the countdown timer - their entire exchange happened in a second, if that.

"Deployment activated."

Both pilots lurched as the Swan Queen was airlifted from the Shatterdome. Emma could just imagine the strain of the cables attached to the helicopters flying them overseas, and mentally crossed her fingers that they would hold. Each cable was rated for the weight of a Mark I, and the copters themselves were powerful enough, but they didn't have any back-ups attached to the Jaeger. If one helicopter was taken out, the other one would follow suit if it couldn't release its cables in time.

The viewscreen focused on the Jagged Hook's last known location, and she sighed in relief when they were able to visually identify the Mark V. Her relief was short lived when she saw two drenched figures standing on top of the Jagged Hook's helm, huddled around an emergency escape hatch. One of the figures was cradling his arm, and the other was slumped over the hatch itself, while the heavy-hitting Category IV - now codenamed Leatherback - was circling around it for another strike.

Regina zoomed in on the scene before Emma could, and they both gasped. Killian Jones's face was contorted in agony, and his left arm was resting at an awkward angle. Graham Humbert's eyes were closed, blood rushing from a cut right along his hairline. Jones fumbled with some sort of gun, resting it on the hatch's guard and taking aim.

"What the hell is he doing?" Regina asked.

"Taking a potshot, I think," Emma replied. "Looks like it's a flare gun."

The viewscreen dimmed automatically as Jones fired, launching the flare into Leatherback's eye. The monstrosity drew back, roaring as the burning ember hit its iris, burning away at the cornea and whatever protective membranes covering it

"I take that back - he's buying us some time," Emma corrected. "You ready?"

"I'm always ready, Miss Swan," Regina replied haughtily.

Emma knew at least some of that was sheer bravado, but she felt the undercurrent of self-confidence finally taking hold in her co-pilot. It was obvious that Regina was ridiculously talented in her field, and exuded both style and grace in what Emma knew of her personal life, but she felt some of that fade away after their botched test run. She was glad to see the brunette reverting to her former self - and just in time, as the cables' latches snapped open, sending the Swan Queen into real combat for the first time in years.

They landed with a splash, causing huge waves to crash into everything around them. Both Jagged Hook and Leatherback were hit by the blowback; the Kaiju recovered quickly, while Jones scrambled to keep his grip on both the exit hatch and Humbert's unconscious body.

Emma and Regina both activated the Swan Queen's stabilizers, bracing themselves for an attack as Leatherback charged towards them, moving faster than a creature with its mass had a right to. The Swan Queen sidestepped its massive fists, and Emma felt Regina sifting through the data inputs. Nanoseconds later she saw what Regina had focused on: the location of the monster's EMP-emitting organ. She lashed out with the Swan Queen's left arm, latching on to the nodule situated on the Kaiju's spine, and gripped with all her might. The Jaeger followed suit, crushing the nodule with excessive force.

Leatherback roared in agony, freeing itself from Emma's grasp. The momentum ripped the organ from its back, and she took the opportunity to toss it away before the monstrous being charged them again. Regina brought the right arm up to block, but Leatherback grappled them in a bear hug, spinning them around twice before launching them at one of Hong Kong's numerous ports.

Both women winced as they rattled against their harnesses - the Swan Queen blew right through an overpass before landing in a grouping of large metal shipping containers. They plowed through the containers, knocking the giant orange storage units over, before regaining control of their movement. They rolled into a crouch, stopping just short of wrecking a warehouse or two. They took off towards Leatherback as it clambered onto the dock, and poured on the speed as the monster issued a roaring challenge to them. The pilots activated its dorsal thrusters in tandem, pushing the Jaeger skyward - just so it could land right next to the enraged creature, its hands locked in position for a hammer blow. Their fists cracked down on Leatherback's skull, disorienting it, and the Swan Queen reared back to tag it a few more times. Emma activated the elbow thruster on the third blow as she punched Leatherback square in the face, knocking it to the ground.

Leatherback growled, and the sound reverberated through the dockyard, shaking the containers and warehouses in the area. Emma was so focused on keeping the Swan Queen free of rough terrain that she missed Regina's surge of panic, and reeled back in surprise when a crane boom cracked against the Jaeger's shin guard. The blow was weak, but it threw her balance off enough that the second swing knocked them back into a transportation truck. She winced as it crumpled under the Swan Queen's weight like tinfoil, but Regina snatched it up once they pushed the Jaeger up from the ground. The brunette brought the truck to bear at the base of the Kaiju's neck, stunning it briefly and aggravating the wound Emma created when she tore the EMP generator out. Each woman directed the Jaeger to grab a set of shipping containers in each hand and slammed them against the sides of Leatherback's head, and Emma lashed out with a heel to its knee.

It fell to the ground, and let out another inhuman growl as it slammed both of its hands into the concrete. The shockwaves sent debris everywhere, which ricocheted harmlessly off of the Swan Queen's armor plating. The foundation of some of the jib cranes were weakened, however, which Emma discovered when Leatherback rammed into the Swan Queen at full speed, plowing the Jaeger through the cranes and metal girders in an effort to throw it back into the ocean. Emma pressed against Leatherback's windpipe with her left arm, while Regina struggled to pry her right arm from the monster's grapple. A surge of elation came through the Drift as Regina freed herself and jammed her fist into the creature's breastbone. There was a whine of power surging through the arm, and then the plasmascaster discharged everything it had into Leatherback's chest. The volley tore through muscle and bone, severing Leatherback's left arm and shattering everything else in its path.

The monster slowed its assault, and finally came to a halt right at the edge of the docks. The malevolent light in its eyes faded, and it slumped over the Swan Queen, dead. Emma worked to push it off immediately; when Leatherback fell backwards, a bit of Kaiju Blue splattered from its wounds, eating away at the debris surrounding its final resting place.

"Leatherback is down. We're heading into the city to find the other one," Regina said, pulling up a detailed overhead map of Hong Kong's Central District. "Any leads?"

Belle's voice came over the comm. "It looks like Otachi is making its way towards one of the public Kaiju shelters." Her voice cracked when she added, "I think Ruby's hiding there."

"We'll do our best to stop it." Regina was ready to leave the corpse where it lay, but Emma felt herself slipping into another rabbit hole. Despite her best efforts, she found herself back on the Queen, Neal strapped in next to her.

"Do you think it's dead?" she asked, struggling to make sense of the readings on her display. The Kaiju's body was cooling rapidly - almost too rapidly, compared to other corpses she had the 'pleasure' of examining after a bloody battle. She wasn't sure if the cooling was due to the icy waters, but something about the entire situation set her nerves on edge.

"There's nothing to worry about, Ems," Neal replied, smiling at her. "There's no way that thing survived the Swan-Cassidy One-Two Punch. C'mon, let's see if those sailors need an escort."

She reluctantly followed his lead, ignoring the churning in her gut as they left its carcass behind.

The churning was unexpectedly replaced by nausea strong enough to make her black out as her arm was ripped from her-

Regina stood behind her, resting her gloved hand on Emma's scar-covered shoulder, and squeezing in a comforting gesture. "Let's make sure it's gone for good," the brunette whispered, reading her thoughts.

Emma came to, and placed her plasmacaster on the monster's thorax. The volley blew its chest wide open, charring its flesh, and even ignited some of the bone and sinew.

"Swan Queen, report! There was a slight decline in Drift Synchronization, followed by another plasma discharge - are you two alright?" Gold's harried voice came through the comm link.

"We're fine, Sir," Emma replied. "Just making sure it's dead. We're on our way to intercept. Did the sync decline fall below acceptable parameters?"

"...No, it was well within the range." It seemed as though he was going to say something else, but instead he merely followed up with, "Keep us informed."

"Always do, Sir." Emma smirked as she felt Regina's amused skepticism float through their neural link.

The Rangers made their way through the crowded metropolis, following the trail of destruction Otachi left behind. They tried to strike a balance between getting to the shelter as quickly as possible, without causing unnecessary collateral damage - Hong Kong's port was already in shambles, and it looked like the Central District was doomed to share its fate.

Emma commanded the giant machine to grab an abandoned oil tanker as they approached the shelter block. Regina arched an eyebrow, the question obvious in her eyes.

"We're gonna try to knock it out of the park," Emma supplied.

Regina's eyes widened, but she didn't resist when Emma slung it over the Jaeger's shoulder. "I wasn't very good at softball," the smaller woman admitted, "but I think I can help you crack the bat."

They came upon the other Kaiju, who was hunched over the shelter. It had pulled the roads up in order to wedge its hands into the shelter, and the pincer on its tail was aimed at the gaping hole, twitching in anticipation. Most of the people were scrambling to get away, but one lone figure stood its ground.

Emma and Regina both faltered a bit as their sensors homed in on the person, who was none other than a bloodied and battered Professor Ruby Lucas. Her black leather coat was shredded, barely covering her torso, and her white Oxford button-up was stained with grime and blood. Her fists were clenched, and she glared up at the creature towering over her. Emma boosted the audio input, and her eyes widened as the signal came through.

"... killing me is gonna torpedo our plans?" Ruby screamed, stepping towards the Kaiju. "Knock yourself out. I'm right here for the taking.

"If you think this is gonna stop us from kicking you off our lawn, though, your masters are fucking morons. That's right," she sneered, tilting her head to catch Otachi's eye. "I said it."

The monster roared in anger, nearly flinging the woman backwards. Somehow Lucas withstood the blast of fetid breath, and tapped her chest with both hands before flinging her arms out to the side. "So go ahead, fucker. Bring it."

"And the award for the ballsiest person I know goes to Professor Lucas, hands down," Emma said, making sure it went across all comm channels.

"I concur." She could feel Regina's respect for the woman go up considerably, along with her own. "Let's make sure she survives long enough to receive that award, shall we?"

Regina banged a metal fist against the Swan Queen's breastplate, thumping it in challenge. It wasn't nearly as effective as the White Knight's taunting system, but it was enough - the monster's head swiveled around, its four gold eyes twinkling with malevolence as it refocused on the Jaeger.

"C'mon, you son of a bitch," Emma murmured, taking an experimental swing with the tanker, as if she were warming up for batting practice.

Otachi charged at them, staying low to the ground as it crashed through the skeletal remains of the buildings it had destroyed in its initial assault. The women gripped the tanker tightly, and swung it upwards as soon as the Kaiju was in range. The large ship clipped the creature's jaw, and it floundered as its center of gravity shifted higher than expected. It rolled away from the Swan Queen and the demolished shelter, but the Rangers didn't give it time to recover - Emma ignited the dorsal thrusters again, covering the distance in a single leap. They wound up for another swing, hitting the creature's shoulder with enough force to tear the tanker's hull on impact. Otachi recovered enough to snag the tanker from their grasp with its pincer, and tossed it towards the shelter. It overthrew the tanker by a wide margin, and Emma winced as the ship plowed through previously undamaged skyscrapers. She didn't have time to see where it landed, however, as Otachi whipped the Swan Queen with its tail, sending them tumbling onto the ground. Regina ducked into the roll, and when they stood up, Otachi was fleeing deeper into the city.

"You have to be kidding me," Regina muttered as they gave chase. "Are all Kaiju this cunning?"

"Not all of them, but enough," Emma replied solemnly. "I should know that better than anyone."

They both fell silent as they stalked Otachi through the ruins of the district, pushing the sensor relays to their limit.

The building to their left crumbled, and the Kaiju emerged from the cloud of destruction at full speed. It rammed into the Swan Queen, forcing them both through another skyscraper, before it grabbed hold of the Jaeger's head and tried to tear it off. The reinforced plating kept the control hub firmly in place; instead, the Swan Queen stumbled through a third building as Otachi tried to pry inside the helm. Emma tried to kip up, but Otachi's jaw split in two and sprayed them with a corrosive acid. The stuff was worse than Kaiju Blue, and it ate through the armored plates; it was Regina's quick thinking that prevented it from seeping further. She vented some coolant, which cooled the acid to its freezing point, and Emma was able to knock most of it off of the Jaeger's frame while they ducked for cover.

"We need to take care of that if we want to take this thing down."

"I know." Regina reviewed the combat data they had when it ambushed Sleeping Dragon. "Hmm - looks like it takes a bit for it to generate enough acid for an attack. Now would be the ideal time to rush it."

"Let's do it."

Emma bum-rushed the abomination, jamming her hand into its throat. She tried to clench the acid sac, but Otachi brought its tail to bear, and tried to crush the Swan Queen's head with its pincers. She tried to ignore the creaking of metal buckling under the assault, but it was clear that they didn't have much time.

Regina checked the vents and unleashed another blast of coolant gases, which frosted over Otachi's tail. The scales became brittle, and Emma released its throat to shatter the tail. The Kaiju howled in agony, opening itself up for another attack, and she was able to jam her hand into its distended jaw and rip out the sac.

They expected the monster to fall back, and were unprepared when it jumped them, latching on wherever it could with its hind legs. The forearms seemed to split in half, and the extra limbs swung forward from its hands. There was a snapping sound, and then giant leathery membranes unfurled from the limbs, forming giant wings.

"What the hell?!" Emma had seen a lot of things as a Ranger, but this wasn't one of them.

"It looks like it stores a pair of wings in its forearms. The 'limbs' that the wings are attached to are actually a fifth digit - double jointed, at least-" Regina's explanation came to a halt as the Jaeger lurched suddenly, slamming them both into the backside of their harness.

Emma realigned her sensor array, and her stomach dropped. "This thing is flying off with us."

"What?!" Regina started running the calculations. "There's no way... how on Earth-"

"These things aren't from Earth, Regina! I-"

Otachi slammed them into numerous buildings, disorienting the women, before rapidly ascending. Emma felt like she was being compressed as they climbed into the stratosphere, and she could feel Regina struggling for breath. "We gotta... we gotta..." her own breaths were coming in shorter; Otachi was dragging them to the edge of the atmosphere, and they hadn't been outfitted for hazardous environments - there hadn't been time.

Their oxygen was running out.

'I will destroy this monster if it's the last thing I do.'

Regina struggled with the controls, and razor-sharp claws popped from the Swan Queen's fingertips. The dark steel-obsidian alloy slid through Otachi's scaled chest like a hot knife through butter, and the brunette forced her hand into its thorax. Emma gasped as Regina unerringly grasped its heart and tore it out, crushing it immediately once her hand was free. The Jaeger's entire forearm was coated in Kaiju Blue, but it quickly burned off as the Swan Queen and Otachi's corpse re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.

Emma grappled with the corpse, angling the body so it would help cushion their impact upon landing. She felt Regina tug at her mind with a different proposal; it took a few seconds to communicate it through the Drift, but once Emma understood the gist of it, she agreed immediately. They let go of Otachi at the last second, purged some of the energy in their reactor and loosened the shock absorbers, bringing them to a slightly more controlled stop as the monstrous body slammed through what little remained of the dock.

"Mills! Swan! Report!" Eugenia's voice was coming in over the line, broken up by bursts of static. "Come in!"

"This is the Swan Queen," Emma replied, her voice croaking with exhaustion. "We did it. Leatherback and Otachi are down."

"Confirmed," Eugenia said. "Good job, ladies. Stand by for an extraction team."

"Roger that. Swan Queen out." She slumped in her harness, but managed to give Regina a thumbs up.

The brunette responded in kind, and a victorious grin spread on both their faces. Emma really liked seeing Regina's smiles, and subconsciously started brainstorming ways to make it happen more often. Maybe a karaoke bar in Kyoto, or-

Regina's brow furrowed, and she cocked her head at Emma. The blonde's eyes grew wide as she realized that her partner still had full access to her mind, and she wrenched her focus back to the task at hand. Their Drift Sync dropped a few points as a result, but was still within acceptable parameters. She could tell Regina was about to press her about it, but she was saved from embarrassment when the other woman's stomach growled - loudly.

Emma laughed in relief, and reached into one of the storage pouches in her suit. She fished around for a moment, biting her lip as she did so, before pulling out a few vacuum-sealed containers of red gel.

"Want one?" she asked, handing one over. It took all of her willpower to ignore the questioning glint in Regina's dark eyes.

Much to her surprise, however, Regina merely nodded and grasped the gel with trembling hands. "Yes, please."


	9. Chapter 9

The elation and adrenaline quickly wore off as the reality of the situation sunk in: the Program had lost half of its fighting force to the Double Event. The Sleeping Dragon could be refurbished, given enough time and resources - two things they were strapped for. The White Knight, however, had taken so much damage that it couldn't be used for much more than scraps - if that.

Losing the Rangers was even worse. They were down to four remaining pilots, and the Jagged Hook's crew was worse for wear. Graham was essentially grounded - he had suffered from a major concussion during the standoff with Leatherback - and Jones' left arm was shattered. The medical staff had it in a cast for the time being, but the injury required surgery to set it properly. One of the physicians approached Killian about starting the procedure immediately, but he refused, stating that he would wait until after the Final Mission.

That left the Swan Queen, Emma, and herself.

At least they had stopped Otachi's' path of destruction, Regina thought grimly. Ruby Lucas's survival was testament to that.

Belle French scrambled to secure passage on one of the reconnaissance helicopters, under the pretense of helping Lucas secure the Kaiju specimen she had risked her life for. Regina suspected there was more behind French's sudden departure, and Emma seemed to share those suspicions.

"When you see her, cuff her upside the head once for me?" the blonde had asked before French headed to the flight deck.

"What? Ruby? Why would I do such a thing?" Belle replied, shocked at Emma's request.

"Because she scared the hell outta you." Emma shook her head solemnly. "You just don't do that to the people who love you. It's rude."

To her credit, French didn't deny the implication, but the sudden flush gave away her embarrassment. "I - I... can I do that after I make sure she's okay?"

Emma laughed, and slapped French on the shoulder. "Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Go get 'er, Tiger."

Regina shook her head at her partner, and offered French her own farewell. "Be safe, Professor - 'Ground Zero' is still very chaotic. Make sure young Lucas doesn't run off on another adventure, hmm?"

Belle's blush grew even deeper, and she looked to the ground instead of meeting Regina's eyes. "Uh... yes, of course, Director Mills."

The older woman smiled, and surprised them both when she said, "Call me Regina."

That seemed to short-circuit French's brain a bit, and the petite woman could only nod with a slightly stunned expression on her face. They both stood watch as the professor made her way to the elevator, and then they looked at each other. Emma had a small grin playing on her lips, and Regina knew she was responding in kind. Both women sobered quickly as their minds turned to the task at hand: closing the rift once and for all. They turned as one and headed to the war room, where Gold was waiting with Killian to discuss their final attempt.

There was no one else in the room, strangely enough. She knew Graham was still holed up in the infirmary, although he was fighting tooth and nail to get released, but she expected a few techs, or at least Eugenia.

"So, what's the game plan?" Emma asked without preamble, resting her elbows on the conference table.

"The game plan is this." Gold pushed a few buttons on the edge of the table, and it slowly flickered to life. Once it was finally warmed up, it displayed the ocean topography of the Mariana Trench - the home of the breach that bridged the two dimensions.

"We're going outfitting the Jagged Hook with a high-yield nuclear payload. The payload should be enough to destroy the breach, sealing it on both sides so the Kaiju - and their masters - can't get through ever again."

Regina looked over the map, and pulled up the schematics for the payload itself. The latches securing the bomb to Jagged Hook were of solid construction, but there was no launching device. It looked like the whole thing was set up to just 'drop' the bomb from its harness. She pointed that out with the tap of a well-manicured finger. "And exactly how will the Jagged Hook deploy the bomb into the breach?" she inquired, locking eyes with Gold.

Killian answered for him, bright blue eyes shining in the darkness of the room. "We'll just waltz on over and drop it in."

Emma shook her head. "Um… Tell me I misheard that," the blonde said, glancing at Regina.

"I certainly hope we both did, Emma." She waited for a retraction, but none came. "... Are you serious? Walking over to the breach and just chucking the bomb into the rift: that's your plan?" Her fingers flew over the table display, zooming in on the Challenger Deep - the exact location of the breach. The crag was full of catches, ledges, and other entanglements that could stop the payload's descent. "You can't just throw the damn thing down there and hope for the best - you need to guide it in!"

Jones nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what I'll be doing," he finally admitted, resting his good hand on his hip.

"Oh? That's it? That's the damn plan?" Regina's head was swimming. "And who's going to be your copilot? You're already injured; there's no way Graham will be able to join you-"

"-which is while I'll be Jones's copilot." Gold punctuated his statement by tapping the base of the table with his cane.

"Sir, you just can't-" Emma stepped towards the former Ranger, almost close enough to grab his shoulder. "You're too important. If this… if this doesn't work, we need a back-up plan, and you're the only one who can-"

"I won't live long enough to come up with another plan, most likely, thanks to radiation poisoning." Gold looked past them both, focusing his gaze on the image of the Challenger Deep.

Regina blinked in confusion. She couldn't have heard him correctly. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

She could see the blood draining from Emma's face. "That - that explains the blood," she muttered. In a louder voice, she asked, "Sir, why didn't you say something?"

He finally tilted his head to look at them directly. "I told you that all I needed from you was your fighting skills, Emma - remember? I don't... I don't need your pity." His words should have sounded bitter, angry, but all Regina could hear was sorrow.

Well, Regina was angry enough for the both of them. "You - you...!" She wanted to strike out, clip his shoulder, something - but she restrained herself. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to let you down again." Her brow furrowed in confusion. What did he mean by-

"Great, so Jagged Hook will be piloted by an old man with half his body in the grave and a bloke with a shattered arm. This should go well," Jones said, although it lacked his usual tone.

Gold's eyes burned with grim determination. "We're still Earth's best shot for cancelling the Apocalypse, Captain: you, me, Mills, and Swan. Are you in?"

The dark Irishman frowned, offended. "Of course I am. You think a bit of a mangled hand is going to stop me from ending this?" His bravado clearly hadn't been dampened for long. "All I'm worried about is floating around in your brainpan, Gold."

"Let me rest your mind then, Jones. I can assure you, I will bring nothing into the Drift. It will be like I'm not even there, except for the reduced burden on operating Jagged Hook." The director locked gazes with each pilot. "Is that all?" When no one answered him, he nodded sharply. "Dismissed."

Jones nodded in reply, and made his way to the changing area. Emma was about to do the same, but paused when Regina refused to budge from her position. The blonde wanted to say something, but the look on Regina's face must have made her reconsider. Emma nodded at her instead, and then glanced to Gold one last time. "I'll see you soon," Emma said finally, touching the brunette's shoulder as she left the hangar.

And just like that, all of her anger drained away, leaving confusion and sorrow in its wake. Gold's lips twitched, as though trying to suppress a grin. "Looks like Miss Swan has a calming influence on you, Regina." He finally gave up, and let the smile break through. "I'm glad."

"I..." Regina wanted to deny it, if only so she could bring the focus back to Gold's bombshell. He was right, though: Emma's presence was like a soothing balm - when the blonde wasn't purposely aggravating her. Regina didn't understand it, and part of her wanted to rail against it with everything she had, but Emma was her partner.

"Is it because of the neural link?" she asked. The scientist in her wanted to know, but the scarred woman was reluctant to hear the answer; part of it was an attempt to buy some time so she could get a better handle on her emotions.

Gold nodded slightly. "I'm sure that's part of it - pilots have been known to remain connected even outside of their Jaegers, although it's rare that it happens so quickly. However, this has been quite the whirlwind of events. Perhaps, when this is over, you'll have more time to..."

"More time to what? Wonder why you didn't tell me about your dying?" she muttered darkly. There it was - the anger, and the sudden lurch of feeling abandoned once more.

"Regina." Gold walked over to her, close enough to reach for her hand if he so chose. He didn't, though - their relationship had always been a strange amalgam of conflict, respect, and deep affection. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he gathered his thoughts. "You've lost so much already," he finally said. "I didn't want to be another log on the pyre."

"It's not fair," she fumed. "You should have said something, Rupert. Maybe then..."

"Maybe what? Maybe we would have set aside our sorrows? Spent more time as friends? Braided each other's hair?" He smirked at the last one. "That's not how we operate, Regina - not in relation to each other, at any rate."

She couldn't deny it. "You had always planned on dying in a Jaeger, didn't you?"

"I didn't, actually, but if I have to go out - it's better to choose the battlefield, in my opinion."

* * *

They knew there would be resistance when they came up with their Hail Mary, but Regina hoped against hope that it wouldn't be the Triple Event. And for a short period of time, it looked like maybe her wish came true.

The Category V's sudden appearance shattered that hope like fragile glass.

The Swan Queen was running interference for Jagged Hook, just like they had planned, when the huge creature came out of nowhere. The monster - "Slattern," Killian hissed when it swiped against Jagged Hook - had almost no discernable heat signature to track. Regina didn't have the time to analyze its physiology and figure out a way to get it on their sensors, but then again, she didn't have to: they were able to make visual contact with the Kaiju as it pounded against the Mark V Jaeger's hull.

"We have more bad news," Eugenia came through their comm links, and Regina didn't like the tone in the older woman's voice.

"When it rains, it pours," Emma grunted as the Swan Queen exchanged blows with the horned beast that first intercepted them. "What is it now?"

"My granddaughter's recklessness must have rubbed off on Professor French, because they both Drifted with another Kaiju brain."

"What?!" Regina reeled as the Swan Queen was tagged yet again by one of the Category IVs that came through the rift. It kept ramming at the Jaeger with its horns, gouging the metal breastplate with each blow. "Of all the-"

"Tell me about it," the older woman bit out. "They did it to see if they could find out what else was in store for the Final Strike. It's bad enough that these aliens sent three of their abominations through the Breach, but they built it so it only opens in response to a Kaiju's approach."

"Damn it! Must be keyed to their genetics." Regina was trying to help Emma wrangle the Kaiju, but it kept swimming out of their grasp whenever the Swan Queen wrapped its gauntlets around one of its limbs. "We need one of them to open the gate for us. Does the Kaiju need to be living for it to work?"

"We don't know for sure, but Ruby thinks a corpse could do the trick. All we really know is if you deploy the payload without opening up the Breach, the damn thing will bounce back and explode on the ocean floor."

Killian's voice came over right after. "Well, work on getting us a corpse then, ladies."

Emma growled at Jones's flippant tone, and dropped into a lower stance. Regina followed suite as the creature swam toward them at breakneck speeds for another hit. They braced for impact, wincing as their control hub made contact with the creature's chest. The pilots tensed up simultaneously, and then Regina shifted control to Emma as the blonde started to wrestle with the thing while she scanned the readings streaming through her display. Emma managed to push it through a coral reef, before spinning them both around and dragging them over to a thermal vent near the breach. Its second set of arms flailed against the Swan Queen's backside, but it couldn't find much to grab onto - especially when Emma slammed it through another reef before shoving its head into the vent. Regina ignored its screeching as its facial skin was boiled right off; indeed, a vicious grin took over her lips as her display zoomed in on a highlighted section in monster's chest. Emma shifted control back to her, and the brunette unsheathed the Jaeger's claws.

She drew back to plunge her hand into the creature's chest when the other Category IV, which had been switching back and forth between the two Jaegers, dashed forward with unnatural speed and ripped the Swan Queen's arm clean off. Regina howled in agony, and they both stumbled as the monster in their grasp kicked out at the Swan Queen's leg, knocking it off balance.

The tearing sensation in her arm quickly vanished as the safety protocols kicked in, stabilizing the Jaeger's systems. Emma eased back into the lead, giving Regina a bit more time to recover, even as they were forced to go on the defensive once more. The monster they had been poised to kill slipped from their grasp and surged towards Jagged Hook and Slattern, who were still duking it out near the entrance to the breach.

The crocodile-like aberration that had torn her arm off broke the damn thing in half before speeding back towards the Swan Queen, full bore. Fury surged through her, and she lifted her left arm, fingers outstretched in a grasping position. Emma's arm did the same a split second later, and they dug their heels into the seabed as the creature approached. They shifted just a touch, and felt scales give way to flesh and bone as the thing impaled itself on the Swan Queen's outstretched arm. Both pilots pulled their arms back, fighting against the drag and suction, and pulled out the horror's heart. Regina crushed it, watching as Kaiju Blue seeped out for a brief moment before they tossed the detached organ into a volcanic pit.

She immediately shifted her attention to Jagged Hook - and her heart fell.

Jagged Hook was slumped against an ocean wall, its missile launcher visibly damaged. Deep gouges marked its armor, and it looked like the locks securing the payload were crushed. Her body went numb with shock as deft fingers skittered across one of the displays, bringing up Hook's diagnostics. Sure enough, the Jagged Hook's chassis had been punctured with strikes from Slattern's triple-crowned tails, and the payload controls were beyond repair. There was no way Jones or Gold could manually deploy the nuke - if they were even alive; the diagnostic reports showed that life support was down.

She patched into the Jagged Hook's comm system, trying to get through to either Ranger. "Jones? Gold? Can you read me?"

Regina looked over to Emma, whose eyes were wide with fear and adrenaline. They waited a beat, and winced when a burst of static came over the line in response. "Killian? Rupert? Are you awake? Please respond."

There was another static pop, and then Killian's voice came through. He was scratchy from interference and possible injury, but he was there. "We're here, Mills," he said, coughing all the while. "We're barely in one piece, mind, but we're here."

Emma took over while Regina refocused on the sensors, tracking Slattern's every move while trying to locate the other Kaiju. It was difficult, to say the least, thanks to the interference from the trans-dimensional rift, heat vents, and radiation leaking around the area.

"The payload release is wrecked," Emma said, trying to bring that section into greater detail. "We might be able to get it unlocked in a few minutes-"

"- if we had a few minutes to spare, Miss Swan." Gold's voice came over, rattling slightly. "Our diagnostics are down, but we can see Slattern and Scunner coming in for the kill."

Sure enough, the other Kaiju - Scunner, apparently - was coming in to aid Slattern. It was moving slower thanks to the blows the Swan Queen was able to get in, but still faster than they could intercept. They started forward was one, both in total agreement that they would do their best to defend the Hook so they could complete their mission. "We're on our way, Sir. Just hold tight."

"No, Miss Swan." Gold's firm command broke their concentration, and the Swan Queen stumbled slightly - but did not stop. "Miss Swan, Doctor Mills, that is an order."

"What?! Damn it, Gold-!"

"Sir, you can't be serious-!"

"I am." Silence reigned supreme, and Regina tried to ignore the telltale pinpricks of tears in her eyes.

"Jones, you're not going along with this, are you?" Emma's voice cracked as she asked, but they both knew the answer.

"Aye-" the signal broke up as Slattern and Scunner both descended on Hook like vultures, or sharks in the water. "-aye. All systems are shot, lass, except for one."

"Killian-"

"You were right when we first sparred, Swan: Gold did save the best for last." The women watched their displays light up in horrified fascination from the sudden activity in the nuclear payload. "Don't go letting us down, now."

The bomb exploded, filling the area with shrapnel, debris, and a fiery explosion that flooded their immediate surroundings with enough radiation to make Chernobyl look like a dud firecracker on the Fourth of July. The Swan Queen's sensors were scrambled, and the radiation counter was inching toward the maximum "safe exposure" levels established by the Program years ago.

'Make me proud, Regina.'

She blinked, tears streaming down her face, as she scoured the Drift. She heard his voice, but there was no sign of Gold anywhere.

She slammed up against her harness suddenly, jerked to the side as something large and heavy cracked into the Swan Queen. It forced them out of the immediate fallout, and the sensors came back online enough for the Rangers to realize that Slattern was pawing at them, flailing at their life support systems with its one remaining tail. Emma did her best to fight it off, pushing at its wounded neck to give the Swan Queen some space, and Regina sank lower into the Drift, following the rabbit to one last memory.

She was looking over the designs for the Queen, blueprints spread across her drafting table in lieu of displays zoomed in on the schematics. The telltale click-clack of Gold's cane was the only signal of his arrival, but she didn't dare look up from her schematics until she was done with the final redlines.

The older man looked over her calculations with a critical eye. "Planning on increasing the nuclear vortex turbine's output?" he asked, tracing her design with a careful finger.

She nodded, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "It should be feasible now, since we're overhauling the main system," she explained, standing up straight from her hunched position. "It should be a much more powerful backup weapon now, and still leave enough power to get back to safety."

"And what Category level do you think it could disable?"

Regina looked at the altered design once more, unsure of the answer. "I hoped we'd never have to find out." She looked back up, smiling sadly at brilliant blue-green eyes framed by long blonde curls. "But I guess we'll know soon enough."

Emma returned her grim smile, pale lips eventually pulling down as they both refocused on their duty. Regina wished she had been able to kiss those same lips - a fleeting thought that was filed with the long list of regrets she possessed (the Drift flickered as her mind's eye focused on Henry), and she started powering up the turbine.

There was a high-pitched whine, the sound of nails on a chalkboard, and then darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

Slattern's last hit nearly took them out, but the Swan Queen stood victorious over their adversary thanks to the turbine blast. There was no time to gloat, however - the hull had been breached in the battle, and water was rushing in. Half of the systems were malfunctioning, and Regina had been banged up badly. How badly, Emma couldn't tell, but the other woman's stillness concerned more than she cared to admit.

Not only that, but they had a trans-dimensional portal to close. Emma finally pieced it all together when Killian commented on how Gold had saved the best for last: they were the failsafe. Throwing Swan Queen in the hole with its secondary nuclear core exposed - along with the corpse of the Category V beast slumped before them - was the only card they had left to play.

"Neal always did say I was his ace in the hole," she mumbled, unhooking herself from the harness. Her fingers skittered against the release buttons, shaking slightly from exhaustion. She could feel a trickle of something warm slide down her neck, but she didn't have time to check the seals on her mask - she had a job to get done.

She stumbled over to Regina's harness, taking stock of the other woman. A bruise was blooming on her left cheekbone, and Emma could see those startling brown irises struggling to focus. Regina's pupils were blown wide open, probably from a combination of fear and injury. Emma tore her gaze away from her partner to check the timer.

"Fuck." She shambled back to her own pilot station, her hands finally stabilizing as she jabbed at the displays. She didn't have much time; she couldn't waste it on uncooperative digits. The main life support panel rotated through the warnings: first orange, then red. Emma entered in the final code, and then it went green.

Regina sucked in a huge breath of fresh air, blinking as it hit her straight on. "Emma? What... what's happening?"

"I'm making sure you get out of here. Alive, hopefully." The blonde moved over to the other harness, and started activating the auto-eject functions.

"What?" Regina tried to look at her console, but Emma knew that between Regina's injuries and her own frame blocking the way, she wouldn't realize what was going on until it was too late. "Emma, why are you-" the brunette stopped abruptly, and then her face contorted in anger and pain.

"Why are you setting the auto-eject?!"

Emma blinked. She hadn't expected Regina to pick up on it so quickly. "I told you, Regina - I'm making sure you're able to blow this pop stand."

The other woman moved to interfere, but her harness and dive-suit had already locked, keeping her in place as the ejection capsule started sliding into place. "You can't do this!" Regina howled, struggling against the harness. "You can't do this by yourself! You... you can't leave me!"

Emma turned back to her partner - the woman she had fallen for. "You're wrong, Regina," she smiled sadly, and she gestured to her scarred arm. "I am the only one who can do this.

"Why do you think Gold hunted me down?"

She turned her back on Regina, and started hitting the codes to expose the controls for the nuclear core that powered the Swan Queen.

"You think you can just abandon me, then?" Regina's voice was cracking. "After all of that talk of partnership, and your horrid plans to ask me ou..."

"Hey, I didn't ask you out yet. That was just brainstorming - which you weren't supposed to intrude on, by the way." The sedative finally kicked in, and Emma breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just doing my best to make sure your little prince doesn't lose you."

She braced herself for another argument as she bent down to move the final access panel, but the only answer she received was a loud hiss and the sound of hydraulics moving the escape pod into the jettison tunnel.

Emma smiled ruefully. "It would figure that I'd finally find something worth living for right before… well. Talk about bad timing."

It was time for her final mission.

She punched in the code to release the safety panels, and the entire hub dimmed. The flashing warning signs were the only things providing any sort of light, washing everything with a reddish hue. The Swan Queen's systems were failing in full now - the stabilizers had blown out, the external sensors were shot - even the seals around the central hub were cracking, allowing a small but steady stream of water into the chamber. She was honestly surprised the Jaeger had lasted as long as it had - and she was extremely grateful for it. Her muscles burned as she forced herself back into her own harness, strapping herself in as best she could. She focused on the neural ports, making sure those were secure, before re-establishing her link to the great machine.

Ice picks stabbed at her temples, and her eyes slammed shut with the force of a Kaiju's blow. Her right arm was burning up, current traveling along her scars. It hurt like a son of a bitch, just as intense as the last time. Her left arm was even worse, and she caught a whiff of burning flesh when she shifted in her harness.

The difference was that she was arguably saner the second go-around, since she wasn't reeling from Neal being violently ripped from her mind. Emma knew she was running on borrowed time, though - already it felt like her brains were leaking out her ears due to sensory overload. She pried her eyes open through sheer force of will, and stumbled forward in the harness. "C'mon, baby," she whispered, "one last time."

The Swan Queen seemed to rumble in agreement, surging forward as Emma forced her limbs to move. She diverted as much power as she could away from the non-functioning systems to keep the Jaeger up and running on the seabed. Each step was pure agony, and sweat poured down her forehead - it felt like someone was pouring salt water straight into her eyes, and her vision blurred from the pain.

It didn't matter, as long as she could see her target out of the view-port in front of her.

The trans-dimensional portal was within her sights - the iridescent energy was creating larger and larger whorls of distortion as she approached. Tendrils snapped forth, zapping whatever aquatic life remained. Emma wasn't sure what happened to those creatures, and she didn't want to find out. Her heart-rate monitor went off the charts as she continued to push the system to its absolute limit. She kept plowing ahead, blood streaming from her nose, as the Swan Queen and its deadly cargo stepped off the cliff and into the glowing abyss.

She closed her eyes, disconnected from the Jaeger, and started sliding her fingers across the controls one last time.

* * *

Everything seemed to be trapped in stasis. Her limbs were unresponsive; her eyelids were glued shut; she could barely feel her heart beating within her chest. She heard something slapping against the escape capsule amidst the vague whispers plaguing her mind, but she couldn't quite make out what it was. Even her brain was sluggish, struggling to piece together the last few moments of her life.

There was a sharp hiss, and then adrenaline flooded through the conduits connected to her dive-suit. Her head snapped back as her heart jump-started, and she winced at the sudden rush of pain as blood forced its way through her injuries - her cheek stood out in her self-assessment, throbbing as everything started to swell. It didn't matter, though. She was finally awake, if not fully cognizant, and she was determined to take full advantage of that. She cracked her eyes open - and winced. There was some sort of gel on her eyes, different than the relay fluid - an antibiotic, perhaps? - and it stung when it made contact with her sclera. The stinging sensation faded quickly, but it felt like she was looking through Vaseline.

Regina forced her limbs to cooperate, and started sliding her hands around the inside of the compartment. She knew she was fumbling blindly, but she had to find out where she was. Her fingers brushed against a smooth control panel to her left, and she remembered that the environmental sensor controls were in that general area. She blinked rapidly until her vision finally started to clear. Things were still blurry, but she could make out the readings if she squinted.

More importantly, she could see the sunlight through the viewing pane. Waves were gently butting up against the side of the pod, and some of the water was splashing over it, but she was at the surface of the ocean. She slammed her palm against the release button, her frustration rising as the main panel refused to budge. She hit it again and again until rational thought caught up with blind instinct - she needed to enter the code to unlock the safety. It was a short alphanumeric code, but she nearly botched it twice because her fingers were trembling so much. A moment later, she hit the release button a final time, and she heard the telltale hiss of the seal breaking.

She jerked up as soon as she had the room, nearly tearing off the harness in her haste. She immediately scanned her surroundings, looking for another pod - Emma's pod. Nothing else seemed to break the surface, at least in her general vicinity. Regina tore at her mask, flinging it behind her, and rubbed at her eyes with gloved hands. Whatever remnants of the gel that didn't get scrubbed off were shortly washed away with silent tears as the reality of the situation sunk in.

"Emma?" She cleared her throat, and tried again, pushing on the transmitter switch extra hard. "Emma? Can you hear me?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

There was radio silence on the other end.

She started flipping through the other channels - maybe Emma was using a different frequency.

Static, silence, screeching shrill enough to make her ears bleed - but no Emma Swan.

Regina went back to the original channel in hopes that she would be able to hear something from her partner.

Her heart lodged in her throat when she heard the burst of static, and it swiftly fell to the pit of her stomach as Graham's voice came through. His voice was distorted, but she was able to make out his announcement:

"Marshal, stop the clock. They did it."

Regina slumped against the pod, numb. She could hear the cheering through the comm piece, but it felt like a hollow victory. She should have been elated, she knew she should be, now that Daniel's death had been avenged (not that it would ever bring him back, no, and certainly wasn't as important as keeping Earth safe from those monsters) and her son would be safe, but it was like a black pit spawned beneath her, sucking her into darkness. Her vision blurred, then dimmed, and her limbs started to lose what little mobility they had in the first place.

Emma's constant presence in her mind since their first Handshake was gone, leaving nothing but absolute silence. The loss tore at her, shredding her heart into bloody ribbons. Daniel's death nearly destroyed her, and she knew she was forever changed from the loss, but this… If this was even an inkling of what Emma felt when she lost Neal, she couldn't fathom how her partner had survived the aftermath.

The escape pod lurched violently, slamming the air from Regina's lungs as her back hit the bottom of the capsule. There was another upheaval, which almost capsized the pod, and repeated jostling, joined by a rhythmic clanging sound.

She pushed herself up with trembling arms, just enough to see what was ramming up against her pod.

It was an oblong capsule, matte black, with the Swan Queen's logo etched in silver along its surface - Emma's escape pod.

Her fingers fumbled with the buckles and safety locks still tethering her body, until she was finally free of her harness. She took as deep a breath as her battered ribs would allow before diving into the icy water. The sudden movement sent Emma's pod sailing away from her own, but it gave Regina enough space and maneuverability to swim over and start work on opening the damn thing.

Everything was a blur after that. In the blink of an eye, the pod door slid to the side, revealing a bloodied and battered Emma Swan. Parts of her suit were scorched; the circuits were probably responsible for that. Emma would have a matching set of scars on each arm now, by the look of things. Dried blood was flaked around Emma's nose and mouth, and it traveled in dark rivulets down the length of her neck, into the collar of her suit. Her blonde hair was matted against her forehead, and perspiration soaked the strands that clung to her face.

Regina looked over the medical display, but it was dark. She tried activating the console, but all she received was a shower of sparks for her efforts. Fear gripped her as she ripped off her gloves and checked Emma's carotid pulse - it was there, but faint, and much slower than she was comfortable with. "Emma?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

No response. She removed the dive-suit's helmet so she could wipe the blood off of Emma's upper lip - and froze when she realized there was no breath coming from the blonde's mouth or nose. "No no no no..." Regina scrambled to start artificial respiration, pulling herself fully into Emma's escape pod. It was cramped, but she managed to make do, wedging her knees on either side of Emma's hips. She took a moment to see if Emma's airway was blocked; it didn't look like it, but she couldn't be sure. She took a huge breath, wincing as her ribs protested once more, and bent forward to capture blue-tinted lips with her own. Time stretched as she continued her resuscitation efforts, and she ignored the slow-building burn in her own lungs as she worked to revive her.

Regina's ears perked at the telltale hiss of adrenaline being injected into Emma's own connections, and continued her efforts with renewed vigor. On her third attempt, the body beneath her shuddered, and Emma pulled back with a rattling gasp. Regina forced herself to sit upright in an effort to give Emma a bit of room. Bright blue eyes darted around, assessing the situation, before focusing on Regina herself. Emma's gaze lingered on Regina's face, and she broke out into a bloodied but heartfelt grin.

"Why, this is awfully forward, Doctor Mills." At Regina's blank stare, Emma gestured weakly between them. "I mean, we haven't even had our first date yet."

Regina didn't need a monitor to know her heart rate was going through the roof. "You... you idiot!" She balled her fists and proceeded to pound on Emma's shoulders. The blows were weak at best, to her dismay. "I thought - I thought you were dead! What the hell did you think you were doing?!"

Emma opened her mouth to protest, but Regina carried on, running on emotion. "We were supposed to go together, Emma. We're partners. You made me believe it, damn it, and then you shunted me off when we needed each other the most! Why? Why did you do that?!"

The blonde lightly touched Regina's cheek with cold, gloved fingertips. "I didn't want to lose you."

Regina's eyes fluttered shut, and she cursed the tears streaming down her cheeks. "What, so I had to lose you instead? Idiot."

"Maybe I am an idiot," Emma conceded, tucking a few strands of Regina's hair behind her ear, "but I'm an idiot that wanted to keep you safe. I did everything I could to make sure you survived. I didn't want your son to be an orphan, like me."

Her mind flashed to the files she read after the first assessment, about how Emma bounced around in the foster system for years after losing her adoptive parents in the First Attack. "I - damn it." She knew she couldn't argue with Emma on that. "We should have discussed it."

Emma closed her eyes. "The pieces didn't really fall into place until Jagged Hook went under." When she opened them again, tears were gathering at the corners. "Did it work?"

Was it worth it?

"Yes."

They both fell quiet, and only the lapping of the waves and the muffled radio chatter were audible. Regina tried her best to back up, resting her weight on her knees so Emma could slide out from underneath her to sit up. It took a few moments, but eventually the taller woman was able to sit upright. She held her arms out wide, and Regina fell into the embrace.

It was awkward, and cramped, and quite possibly one of the best moments of her life: they had stopped the invasion. It came at a heavy cost, no doubt, but Emma survived. She was living and breathing, and had her lanky arms wrapped around Regina in a gentle embrace, and she...

She hadn't felt this way since Daniel. In fact, she wasn't sure if she had ever felt like this.

Regina reluctantly pulled back and brought her hand to her chest. Emma looked at her, the question dying on her lips as their eyes locked. Whatever the other woman saw in Regina's eyes silenced her, but she still reached for Regina's free hand and held it in her own.

It seemed like Regina could feel Daniel's rings under her palm, even through her dive-suit. The chain wasn't nearly as heavy as when she first put it around her neck so many years ago, and it certainly didn't burn the way it did when she first met Emma Swan on the Shatterdome's flight deck. She smiled, though the tears resumed their trek down her cheeks, and looked at Emma straight on once more.

She leaned forward, capturing Emma's lips in a gentle kiss. It was warm, warmer than anything she had experienced, and that very warmth flooded her entire being. Emma's arms snaked around her again, pulling her close. When they finally separated, she could see the blush staining Emma's pale skin.

"You could've given me a chance to freshen up," Emma murmured, grimacing at the slight tang of her own blood on her lips.

"I gave you mouth to mouth for who knows how long," Regina replied seriously. "Freshening up is a bit moot at this point."

"So... does this mean that you'll go out with me?"

Regina rolled her eyes at that, but her reply was cut short as a rescue squad made its way towards them. They both waved at the team, still far out in the distance, before turning to each other again.

"We'll discuss it once Doctor Hopper has a chance to examine you." Regina shook her head at Emma's protest. "The scorch marks on your suit most likely came from the circuits. You took an incredible burden on yourself when you decided to fly solo."

"Hey, at least I'll have a matching set?" When Regina glared at her, Emma's shoulders slumped a bit. "I know, too soon," the blonde groused, "but we're definitely going on a date after I get a clean bill of health."

Regina felt her face stretch into a full blown grin that she couldn't hide if she wanted to.

"Count on it, Miss Swan. You have no idea what I'm capable of."


	11. Epilogue

Was it worth it?

"I'd like to think it was," he whispered.

"Are you sure, Pops?"

Rumplestiltskin turned around, and his eyes widened at the sight of his boy - Baelfire, all grown up: short brown hair, tanned skin, a scruff that the sharpest razor couldn't banish, and gold-green eyes that regarded him seriously.

"I got to spend a life with you, even if it wasn't exactly how I envisioned it," the Dark One replied, folding his glittering golden hands behind his back. He wanted to hug his son so badly, but he wasn't sure if it would be welcome.

Neal Cassidy shrugged, his off-white dive-suit creaking with the movement. It was beaten and battered, and the Queen's callsign had faded over the years, but other than that, it was whole. It was like his boy had never been violently ripped away.

"And what about everyone else? A lot of people lived different lives than what they had in the Enchanted Forest, or even Storybrooke."

Gold closed his eyes.

"It was the only way, Bae. Besides, I wasn't the only one who agreed to recast the Dark Curse."

It wasn't a defense, he knew, and it never could be - but it was the truth. Still, he hadn't known that this world was already linked to other dimensions, and primed for an invasion by the Anteverse and the monsters within. If he had, he would have done his best to find a different realm to send them to.

"Hmm." Neal stepped closer to him, each movement echoing loudly in the blank space they occupied. "I guess, but this definitely wasn't the original recipe, Dad."

"We knew that people would be separated, perhaps never to cross paths, but... I tried to right some of the wrongs I had inflicted on them, Bae. Please, believe that." The tears burned in his eyes.

He almost never cried, not in any of the realms, unless it was in front of his little boy.

"I didn't mean for you to die."

Neal finally stopped in front of his father. "Whoa, wait, that's not..." He looked down at his boots, rubbing at the side of his neck. "That's not what I meant, Papa. I knew the risks when I signed up for the Program. I would've done it anyway, even if you hadn't been involved.

"Shit, look at you now: one of the best Rangers in this world's history. What would our little village think of that?"

Gold frowned at the memory of that backwater dump, and he snorted. "They wouldn't believe it if they saw it with their own fool eyes."

"Well, fuck 'em, then. We both stood our ground, and maybe even made the world a better place for it." Neal placed a gloved hand on Gold's shoulder, wrinkling his perfectly pressed suit jacket. Silence reigned supreme for a while, and then he asked, "Are they gonna be happy, at least?"

The Dark One struggled with an answer. "Sacrifices were made," he said slowly. "The Savior still lost her parents and the Evil Queen, her first love. I know I… strayed from my path when I lost you again, but I tried to give them a better life this time around. To make amends."

He tried to be a better mentor to Regina, the one she originally deserved in the Enchanted Forest, instead of one that twisted her for his own dark purpose. He tried to give Emma a family that loved her, even if it wasn't with Snow White and Prince Charming; he hadn't expected her to lose her adoptive parents to the First Strike. History repeated itself in that regard, despite his best efforts. And he did his best to make sure his grandson had both of his mothers.

Everything he did in this world to ensure a better life for them - for everyone - wasn't enough, and it never would be: Rumplestiltskin alone knew exactly how many sins he had committed against Emma Swan and Regina Mills, among countless others, in his efforts to find his son.

He dared to put his scaled hand over his Neal's. "You're not upset, are you? That Emma and Regina..."

Neal grinned, and there was no trace of sorrow or regret. "Nah. I guess I always knew that Emma and I weren't meant to be, even before that mess with Zelena, but I got more time with her here than I deserved. I got a chance to do right by her for once, you know? Besides...

"They can always find us here, if they need us, right?"

The Dark One and his son stood side by side, standing vigil, and waiting for the day when everyone would finally be reunited.


End file.
